The Horn Book review for the Tooth Fairy Cat

 Cat is back 
and craftier than ever

Cat, who wanted to steal the Easter Bunny’s spotlight (Here Comes the Easter Cat, rev. 3/14) and bypass the naughty list by impersonating Santa (Here Comes Santa Cat, rev. 11/14), is back and craftier than ever. Now he wants to meet the Tooth Fairy, but she’s already taken his tooth under cover of night. His attempt to lure her back with a comb’s tooth fails, but she sends him his own fairy costume and a note assuring him, “if you help me with a few deliveries, maybe we can meet.” Cat, in cahoots with a new mouse assistant assigned by the Tooth Fairy, manages to collect teeth from several challenging locations, and learns in a surprise twist that fairies can be tricky, too. Underwood crafts yet another original plot within the format established by the previous two books. As before, Rueda’s ink and colored-pencil illustrations allow Underwood’s characters (none of whom actually speak) to communicate clearly with the offstage narrator through actions, facial expressions, and the occasional placard, while white space creates a sense that the narrator’s opinionated voice echoes within the pages. The lost-tooth canon, smaller than the Christmas canon and maybe even the Easter-bunny canon, has plenty of space for this welcome addition. shoshana flax