Submitted by: Jill Gonzalez, Director of Programs
Do you remember how you lost your first tooth? Do you remember the fear you might lose your tooth? The worry, the excitement, of knowing the tooth Fairy was coming to visit you?
Watching my 6 year old nephew lose three teeth in the last couple of months has brought all this back to me. He was SO excited to put that first tooth under his pillow, having heard of the riches the tooth fairy brings. He couldn’t wait for that first tooth to come out.
We have a RIF book here at BookSpring that sheds some light on the origins of the tooth fairy – I’ve learned a lot from reading it! Ancient Egyptians believed that the sun helped make your teeth stronger. There is a long history of customs and rituals when a child loses a tooth, many I had never heard of. It was more than 100 years ago when children started to receive a treat for a lost tooth. At first, these treats came from the tooth mouse – and in some countries, they still do.
Read Tooth Tales by Targ Brill to find out how the Tooth Fairy legend grew to be what it is today.
