The Tooth Fairy Meets El Raton Perez by Rene Colato Lainez, illustrated by Tom Lintern

Two different mythologies meet. Who will win? The Tooth Fairy is collecting teeth for her castle - El Raton Perez is collecting teeth for his rocket ship. El Raton Perez has collecting the teeth of Miguelito's family for generations - but in the United States, it's the Tooth Fairy who collects teeth! When Miguelito's tooth is lost, it takes the special skills of both tooth-collectors to retrieve it and with a little discussion realize they can compromise and both use the tooth.

A note at the end of the story explains the tooth-collector legend around the world and gives details about the two in the story. Translations of the Spanish terms are also given, but they're also pretty obvious from the story.

This is a fun story with lots of silly details. A great way for kids to see connections between different cultures by showing two traditions and how they vary from place to place. I prefer Lintern's illustrations in Cold Water Witch, but his Photoshopped pencil illustrations are quite pleasant in this story and lend a cartoonish feeling to the silly scenes.

Verdict: If you're looking for multicultural stories kids and their parents will actual check out, this is a definite yes! Lots of fun details as well as traditions from different countries and a lesson on compromise and working together.

ISBN: 9781582462967; Published March 2010 by Tricycle Press; Borrowed from the library