Feb 23, 2022

Lulu and the Missing Tooth Fairy | S.E. Richey

“A clever, humorous, and joyful tooth story” – Kirkus Review

Lulu cannot wait for a visit from the Tooth Fairy and get a pony with her Tooth Fairy money. And Trixie cannot wait to finally become an official Tooth Fairy. Everything would be perfect, if only Trixie would show up!

Will Lulu get her pony? Will Trixie ever become an official Tooth Fairy? Find out in this humorous yet heartwarming tale that encourages us to never stop believing and that everything is possible with a little will power. And learn a thing or two about tooth traditions and tooth collectors of the world!

Buy the Book:

My Thoughts:

This fun book is perfect for the bookshelves of kids ages 5 to 8. The storyline and illustrations are unique, fun, and will keep kids' attention from cover to cover. This whimsical tale weaves a story about a little girl excited for losing her tooth and getting a visit from the tooth fairy. The tooth fairy, Trixie, is facing her own excitement at the test of Lulu's lost tooth to prove she can become *official*.

The inspirational message behind the book is wonderfully executed for the age group it's geared toward. They inspire remaining rooted in the belief of ourselves with a hint of magic. I loved the addition of learning more about the tooth fairy on a cultural level. That adds the perfect touch of education for kids.

Absolutely a treasure of a book!

I received a complimentary copy for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

Because I’m Really About Ten Years Old in my Head

S.E. Richey

I’ve always loved to read, and I always wanted to be a writer. I just didn’t know what kind of story I would write nor what kind of writer I wanted to become. And it wasn’t until I became a mom that I found myself surrounded by little kids all day, four to be exact, my very own children, that it finally clicked. They loved playing with the books in the bookshelf and pulling them off the shelf and looking at the illustrations. We kept books in the car for them to look at while sitting in their car seat, in the bathroom, everywhere.

They loved it when I read to them, so I read to them throughout the day, at bedtime, and when they all were old enough to sit on their own in the bath without drowning, I read during bath time, too. Our favorite books were funny and silly picture books. They’d giggle, and I’d giggle. And I never minded reading them again and again.

One such book was titled When Mom Turned into a Monster by Joanna Harrison, an older picture book (and old when we read it) about a mom who has guests coming and frantically tries to do everything to get ready for the visit while the kids keep being naughty. The madder she gets the more parts of her turn into a monster until… Well, you’ll have to read it to find out, but my kids loved it and asked me to reread it a lot! Another one, Don’t Grown-Ups Ever Have Fun? By Jaime Harper about a girl who concludes that grown-ups don’t have fun after watching her parents throughout the day and thinks it would be better if they behaved as she did.

Imperfect adults in picture books… hmmm. The idea that my failings as a mother and human being could be the stuff of books took hold of me. And because I’m really about ten years old in my head, humor appeals most to me, so my work had to be funny. That’s when I decided to take a situation I was very familiar with, that of missing tooth fairies, and turn it into something that many could relate to and be entertained by. Lulu and the Missing Tooth Fairy was born, my first picture book. Although the original story looked much different throughout revisions (and even had many different titles), the heart of the story remained, that an imperfect being can still accomplish great things in spite of his/her/their imperfections. At least that’s what I tell myself and what continues to inspire new stories.

About the Author:

S. E. Richey was born in New York and moved to Puerto Rico with her family when she was four years old. She grew up in the mountains of La Cordillera Central of Puerto Rico. She spoke four-year-old English and Spanish, but soon forgot English. She loved running around her grandparents’ finca, picking wild strawberries, sucking on ripe coffee beans (so sweet!), sugar cane (so sweet!), and searching for cow pies with her siblings and cousins (not so sweet.). At age eighteen, S. E. Richey swore she would never live in another small town in the country where she had to drive through a canyon with lots of curvy roads just to get to the city. Oh, how dizzy and nauseous those curves made her! She moved to the United States where she attended college in a small town in Idaho, married and lived in a small town in California (her second home) with lots and lots of curves just to get to the city (yes, she got dizzy and nauseated), and now she lives in a small-ish town in Idaho with her husband and four children. Their two dogs, Roscoe and Cali, and Conan, the fat cat, complete the family. She loves to sing WAY too loudly in the car. She loves Dulce de Leche ice cream (even if it hurts her tummy). And she loves to read and write silly stories that make her giggle and stories that tug at the heartstrings. connect with the author: website ~ twitter ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ goodreads

About the Illustrator:

Jhon Ortiz is a 3D character animator and a children's book illustrator born in Caracas, Venezuela and based in Valencia, Spain. A plant keeper and a coffee lover, Jhon also likes the sound of vinyl records. From an early age, Jhon felt a passion for drawing and storytelling. He has worked as an animator for the films The Nutcracker and the Four, and Moomios. And he has illustrated several books, including The One Great Gnome, LillyBelle: A Damsel NOT in Distress, and Lulu and the Missing Tooth Fairy.