Speaking Volumes: Celebrate National Tooth Fairy Day
At one time or another, all of us have been visited by the tooth fairy, so it comes as no surprise that we have a National Tooth Fairy Day.
The tooth fairy has been around since the Middle Ages and has always been associated with exchanging coins for a tooth under the pillow of a child. But fairies are not always sweet; sometime they can be verrry scarrry. Enjoy popular stories about tooth fairies and other fantasy fiction books that are available at Manatee County Public Libraries.
"The Tooth Fairy" by English author Graham Joyce is a coming-of-age tale of three boys growing up in 1960s England. One of them, Sam, wakes up one night to find a tooth fairy sitting on the edge of his bed. Is she real or a figment of his imagination? This tooth fairy is mischievous and destructive, a figure of malevolent, nightmarish presence and she pursues Sam throughout his childhood.
"What-the-Dickens: The Story of a Rogue Tooth Fairy," by award-winning author Gregory Maguire, is not your everyday fairy tale. Huddled together on a stormy night are 10-year-old Dinah, her siblings and her cousin Gage, who is telling a very unusual story. "What-the-Dickens" is a newly-hatched, orphaned, "skibberee" or tooth fairy, who after meeting a feisty girl skibberee, learns of a tribe of tooth fairies which he hopes to join. What-the-Dickens and Dinah come to see that the world is both richer and far less sure than they ever imagined.
Catherynne M. Valente's "The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making" is an extraordinary work of fantasy for adults and children alike. Twelve-year-old September had an ordinary life until her dad went to war and her mom went to work. One day, September meets a "Green Wind" who takes the form of a man in a green jacket. He invites her on an adventure to help Fairyland. The Marquess wants a Talisman from the enchanted woods that only September can retrieve, and if she doesn't he threatens to make life impossible in Fairyland. This is an unforgettable reading experience with beautiful illustrations by Ana Juan.
"The Fairy Godmother," by bestselling author Mercedes Lackey, will enchant readers with a delightful twist on a traditional fairy tale. In the land of Five Hundred Kingdoms, everyone is expected to fit into the rules of the established fairy tales. Elena should have a Cinderella-like life, but when she is tormented by her wicked stepmother and stepsisters she flees and becomes an apprentice fairy godmother. But breaking tradition can land everyone into a kettle of fish, sometimes literally. This, the first book in the "Five Hundred Kingdom" fairy tales series, will captivate both fantasy and romance readers.
Speaking Volumes, written by Manatee County Public Library System staff members, is published each Sunday. Cathy Habora is a staff member at the Braden River Branch Library and Jennifer Morrison is a staff member at the Rocky Bluff Branch Library.
This story was originally published February 26, 2016 at 5:28 PM with the headline "Speaking Volumes: Celebrate National Tooth Fairy Day ."