Lots of kids have a sweet tooth. But not like Stewart's. His very loud sweet tooth wants what it wants, when it wants it...and lets everyone know about it. Stewart's sweet tooth screams for cake at weddings, for candy during class, and torments him at the movies. Stewart has had enough, and he's bringing out the big guns -- a carrot. Can he stand up to the most annoying sweet tooth in history? Kindergarten-Grade 3–Stewart is an "average, everyday kid" with a talking molar that inevitably lures him into trouble. At his cousin's wedding, the tooth demands a large chunk of cake, and when the boy crams it into his mouth, his parents deny that he's their son. At school, its clamoring for candy causes the boy's teacher to send him to the principal's office yet again. He foists off blame with the predictable phrase, "It's The Tooth!" The illustration adds to the hilarity as the molar peeks out of the boy's mouth with an impish and belligerent smirk, its fist raised in apparent anger. Throughout, the mixed-media cartoon artwork extends the comedy of Palatini's text and enriches her characterization of Stewart. In one spread, readers look down on him as he lies on the floor with a stomachache after raiding an Easter basket. This scene adds visual interest with a change in perspective, showing only the feet of his family members–even the paws of the cat–clustered around the sick boy. When Stewart finally tells his molar that he's switching to a "Healthy diet," Davis uses rosy red to perk up the palette and show the youngster's new determination to win the war with the tooth. Finally, Stewart extracts it with the help of a big carrot and the Tooth Fairy administers justice in an upbeat ending. With a rollicking text and charming illustrations, this adventure is a scrumptious delight. –James K. Irwin, Nichols Library, Naperville, IL Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. K-Gr. 3. One of young Stewart's molars demands a steady stream of sweets. Often the cravings become so bad that Stewart goes into feeding frenzies at the most inappropriate times. Stewart retaliates against the pesky molar with a steady stream of vegetables until it finally falls out and is collected by the tooth fairy. This is an amusing story, but the zany, cartoonish, mixed-media illustrations are the real treat, especially in chaotic scenes of sweets flying in all directions as friends and relatives look on in horror. The molar itself lingers in the back of Stewart's mouth, a comic, angry, and malevolent presence. Kids are sure to enjoy this funny, but not overly didactic, look at the dangers of a sweet tooth enjoying unchecked power. Todd Morning Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Margie Palatini is the author of many celebrated children’s books, including Lousy Rotten Stinkin’ Grapes , The Three Silly Billies , and Earthquack! , all illustrated by Barry Moser, as well as Sweet Tooth and Bedhead , both illustrated by Jack E. Davis. She lives with her family in New Jersey. Visit Margie at MargiePalatini.com. Jack E. Davis was senior art director with a a large ad agency before becoming a children's book illustrator. Among the books he has illustrated are Bedhead by Margi Palatini, Metro Cat by Marsha Diane Arnold, Music Over Manhattan by Mark Karlins, and the ongoing series The Zack Files by Dan Greenburg. He lives in Port Townsend, Washington, and has three sons and two cats. Used Book in Good Condition