That first wiggly tooth and the subsequent visit by the tooth fairy is the stuff of childhood lore but it's still hard to explain! We've found a few of our favorite books on the subject to help you guide young patrons and their adults through this peculiar rite of passage.

Burke, Tyler Clark. The Last Loose Tooth. illus. by author. Random. 2020. 40p. ISBN 9780593121443.
Gr 2-4–Lou and his 19 brothers and sisters are baby teeth, which means they all eventually have to leave home to make room for the adult teeth. Each of Lou’s siblings begin leaving the mouth in ways befitting their personalities. A loudmouth named Cary, for example, who was rotten to the core, was yanked from the mouth three days after Halloween. Eventually, Lou, who is too scared to leave, is the only baby tooth left. Growing tired of hanging out with the boring adult teeth, he works up the courage to fall out. A little girl (the owner of the mouth in question) then places him in a special box to await the tooth fairy who comes to take him to the “Great Land of Teeth” where he excitedly reunites with all his siblings.

Graham, Bob. The Underhills: A Tooth Fairy Story. illus. by author. Candlewick. 2019. 40p. ISBN 9781536211122.
PreS-Gr 1–When their parents rush off to a molar emergency, the tooth fairy sisters April and Esme and baby brother Vincent are dropped off at their grandparents’ teapot house near an airport. Grandma receives a new call to pick up a tooth from young human girl named Akuba, who’s arriving from Ghana. Mom grants permission over the phone for her daughters to assist and despite the chaos of angels, cherubs, a forgotten coin, and general airport hubbub, the girls accomplish the mission. 

Hecker, Brooke. Letters from My Tooth Fairy illus. by Deborah Melmon. Sleeping Bear. 2020. 40p. ISBN 9781534110557.
PreS-Gr 2–Natalie and her tooth fairy exchange notes over the course of six years and 20 teeth in this epistolary picture book set in white suburbia. The Tooth Fairy’s cheery missives brim with enthusiasm for Natalie’s milestones including a new sibling, a move, and school drama. Natalie’s sporadic notes reveal her maturing personality and shifting anxieties as she ages through elementary school into her final, preadolescent tooth-losing years. 

Membrino, Anna. Big Shark, Little Shark, and the Missing Teeth. illus. by Tim Budgen. Random. (Step into Reading). 2022. 32p. ISBN 9780593302118.
PreS-Gr 2–Big Shark and Little Shark are together again, and this time one of them has a loose tooth. After his tooth pops out, Big Shark saves it in a treasure chest with the rest of his beloved collection of teeth. When all of his lost teeth go missing from the treasure chest, Big Shark looks in an abandoned ship, by a swing, and under a stingray. Little Shark knows where the missing teeth are; after he reveals their location, Big Shark does something for him in return.

Miller, Kelly Leigh. I Love My Fangs! illus. by author. S & S. 2020. 40p. ISBN 9781534452107.
K-Gr 3–Young Dracula is proud of his pointy fangs and takes good care of them. But when one fang gets wiggly and falls out, he becomes very upset and does not want anyone to see him with a missing fang. He tries to fix his fallen fang but fails, and gets angry when the tooth fairy tries to take this special tooth away. With many funny and relatable situations and a beguiling monster character, this book presents a creative opportunity for children about dental health. 

Reagan, Jean. How to Find the Tooth Fairy. illus. by Lee Wildish. Random. (Step into Reading). 2022. 32p. ISBN 9780593479124.
Gr 1-2–The myth of the Tooth Fairy is alive and well in this recent addition to the “Step into Reading” series. In this Step 2 title, a young white boy is spending the night away from home with grandparents when the first tooth is lost. The boy knows he needs to put the tooth under his pillow, but worries that the Tooth Fairy will not find him when he is not at home.