This toothy tale lacks bite

Dad, Are You the Tooth Fairy?

by Jason Alexander; illustrated by Ron Spears

     I don’t know of many adults who sob to their psychiatrists about the childhood trauma of discovering the Tooth Fairy wasn’t real. But in case you’re worried your kids will harbor lingering hostility about this particular revelation, this is the book for you.

     Alexander writes without a hint of the razor-sharp comic instincts he brings to his acting, and the result is a maudlin discourse on what constitutes Truth with a capital “T.” Pardon me for thinking kids face greater hazards and let-downs than Dad’s fib about the fate of missing teeth.

     The plot’s predictable enough: Gaby loses teeth, gains a few coins, loves his personal Tooth Fairy. Come to find out through the rotten neighborhood kids that it’s all a myth. Imagine! Confronting Dad gets him an earful about how magic creatures once roamed the earth, but us pushy grown-ups scared them off. Says Dad: It’s Gaby’s choice whether to keep believing. Snort.

     In an end note, Alexander says events are largely as they occurred. The character names are also the same as his kids. The problem with hewing too closely to actual events in a fictional story is that you don’t leave yourself enough wiggle room for a more imaginative, amusing treatment.

Reviewed by Anne Levy

Rating: *\*\

Comments

[plosh]

That brings back memories of catching my mom and dad in the act. I didn't tell them I knew because I wanted to keep collecting the loot.