Too-Loose Tale: Fancy Nancy and the Too-Loose Tooth by Jane O'Connor

FIRST LIONEL WASHES OUT HIS MOUTH.

THEN THE NURSE HANDS LIONEL A WHITE PLASTIC TOOTH ON A CHAIN.

POP! THE TOP OPENS. IN GOES THE TOOTH.

FOR THE REST OF THE DAY, LIONEL WEARS HIS NECKLACE.

I LONG FOR A TOOTH NECKLACE TOO. (THAT MEANS I REALLY WANT ONE.)

Nancy is a girl who appreciates the importance of accessories. And suddenly she realizes that that tooth necklace is the accessory du jour in Ms. Glass's class.

Nancy feels a twinge of envy as she watches Lionel show off his prize to the whole class. But she's got a loose tooth, too, a little bit loose, and she sees that all she has to do is to make sure that she loses that tooth at school and that wonderful accessory is hers!

Nancy does what she can to make that happen.

I WIGGLE IT A LOT AT SCHOOL

AT HOME I DO NOT WIGGLE IT AT ALL.

At home Nancy sticks to soft foods, like bananas. She turns down Dad's offer to pull the tooth for her. She even tries not to talk. Soon the tooth is just hanging in there by the proverbial thread. Nancy tapes it in before bedtime and even tries to sleep with her mouth open. Finally, she on her way to school, the tooth still tentatively attached. This will be the day she gets that necklace for sure. Then...

"AH-CHOO!"

The tooth falls out and onto her tongue!

Oh, no! Nancy sees that really cool necklace receding into limbo. She was so close.... almost at the school door!

But wait! The tooth is still technically IN her mouth, right? If she leaves it there, on her tongue, until she is inside the door, does that count? And is that honest?

Jane O'Connor's latest Fancy Nancy I-Can-Read book takes our favorite fashionista through another major milestone of the primary school years in Fancy Nancy and the Too-Loose Tooth (I Can Read Book 1) (Harper Festival, 2012). O'Connor's subtle writing reveals Nancy Clancy's foibles and her best nature alike as she navigates this transition with characteristic style in this on-target entry in the beginning reader category.