You Think It's Easy Being the Tooth Fairy?

You Think It's Easy Being the Tooth Fairy? by Sheri Bell-Rehwoldt

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/You-Think-Its-Easy-Being-the-Tooth-Fairy/Sheri-Bell-Rehwoldt/e/9780811854603/?itm=1

Summary: You Think It's Easy Being the Tooth Fairy? is the story of the Tooth Fairy. This is not the sterotypical Tooth Fairy. She describes herself as "an action kind of gal" who is tough and smart. She describes how much work it is to go from house to house each night and collect and carry hundreds of teeth. She uses all sorts of gadgets technology to help her along the way, such as her Tooth-o-Finder, which locates teeth that have fallen out of children's mouths. You Think It's Easy Being the Tooth Fairy is a fresh look at the Tooth Fairy and fairies in general.

Reflections: I first read this book as a bedtime story. I thought it was cute, but had not really put any thought into the story. Then we did the workshop on Fairy Tales and stereotypes and I realized that this story is a wonderful way to look at the stereotypes that society has about fairies and females. The Tooth Fairy in this story does not wear dresses and carry a magic wand. She wears a jumpsuit and has spy-like gadgets that help her to locate and collect children's teeth. She also has no issues saying she is athletic. She does not want help from anyone. I think that this story would be a way to show positive representations of females to children.

How would I use the book/curriculum units: As a mentioned above, this book would be a good way to introduce stereotypes in a classroom with younger children. The teacher could use this book in conjunction with another book about the Tooth Fairy or any other fairy. The children could listen to both stories and look at the differences and similarities they find. The teacher could lead a discussion about how boys and girls like to do a lot of the same things and a lot of different things. The students should begin to see that gender should not be a determinant as to what someone does.

Domains of Social Justice:
1) Self-love and acceptance: Students will learn the love the activities that they do and not worry about whether boys should do that or girls should dot that.
2) Respect for others: Students will learn to respect others and the special things about them. They will learn not to stereotype people based on who they are.
3) Exploring issues of social justice: Students will start to see how groups of people are stereotyped within society. They will see how it effects people negatively.