Throw Your Tooth on the Roof: Tooth Traditions from Around the World

By Selby B. Beeler and G. Brian Karas

From the Tooth Fairy to the Rolling Calf and El Ratón Miguelito—an illustrated look at what kids around the world do when they lose baby teeth.

What do you do when you lose a tooth? Do you put it under your pillow and wait for the tooth fairy? Not if you live in Botswana! In Botswana, children throw their teeth onto the roof. In Afghanistan, they drop their teeth down mouse holes, and in Egypt, they fling their teeth at the sun!

Travel around the world and discover the surprising things children do when they lose a tooth. Selby B. Beeler spent years collecting traditions from every corner of the globe for this whimsical book, and illustrator G. Brian Karas adds to the fun, filling every page with humorous detail. He perfectly captures the excitement and pride that children experience when a tooth falls out.

Praise for Throw Your Tooth on the Roof

“This book will be an eye-opener for young Americans who may have assumed that the Tooth Fairy holds a worldwide visa.” —Publishers Weekly

“Karas’s illustrations, including his map, are deliberately lighthearted and make people the world over look uniformly friendly. A charming debut.” —Kirkus Reviews

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Sep 24, 2001
• ISBN: 9780547530659

Book preview

Reviews for Throw Your Tooth on the Roof

[kwhite18 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a very interesting book to teach readers about how different cultures regard the tradition of losing a tooth. The story begins by asking the reader what he or she has ever lost a tooth. This gets the reader to begin to think about what they did with their most recently lost tooth. The book then goes, by continent. describing what different countries do ith their lost teeth. This is nonfiction and informative, and yet still an enjoyable read. Each country also has an individual illsutration, showing what they common personf rom that country looks like performing their cultural tradition. This helps the reader to visualize what is going on.

[evandy1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really liked this book because it taught children about parts of the world in a very unique way. The author uses many colors and illustrations along with text to show what children all around the world do when they lose a tooth. I was actually unaware about all of the different traditions that different parts of the world have when they lose a tooth. This book was extremely informative and interesting and really taught children a lot. It taught them that not every culture does the same things and we are all different. I also really liked the way the book was organized by different regions of the world on each open page and then within those regions were the countries. The book taught children a lot about culture and diversity.

[awalls4 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely loved this book! I thought it was so interesting, unique and extremely relatable to elementary aged students. I liked this book because of the organization of the plot. On each page it has different headings for different countries and describes what children do in that country if they lose a tooth. For example, one page has titles for Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Each of these titles contains a few sentences underneath that describe the traditions of when someone loses a tooth in that country. To provide a specific example one would be, “Pakistan: I wrap my tooth in cotton. At sunset I go to the river and throw my tooth in the water. It will bring me good luck. If no river is nearby, I will throw it in a good site, like a garden.” I also liked this book because of the relevance of the plot. Elementary aged students are experiencing losing teeth. I think this book would be interesting for them because they will be able to learn about the different tooth traditions around the world and maybe try one themselves. I think the central message of the book is to entertain and inform readers about the different traditions countries have when someone loses a tooth.

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Ever wonder how the children in other countries dispose of their baby teeth, when they fall out? Wonder no more, for Selby Beeler has recorded the many folk customs and beliefs concerning teeth to be found around the world. Here young readers will discover that children in many countries - Canada, the United States, Denmark, England - believe in the Tooth Fairy (the Danes call her Tand Feen); while the children of other nations believe that a rat or mouse - El Ratón in Mexico, El Ratón Miguelito in Colombia, Ratoncito Perez in Spain - fetches their tooth away, leaving money or a gift in its place. In some parts of the world, children are instructed to throw their tooth on the roof, or to bury it in the ground. In many of the nations of Asia, there is the belief that adult teeth will grow in the direction of the baby teeth they are replacing, leading to upper teeth being thrown on the ground, and lower teeth being thrown on the roof.Less of a storybook than a picture-book encyclopedia, in which each country's tradition is given in brief synopsis form, Throw Your Tooth on the Roof still manages to be an engaging book. Young readers will be fascinated by the differences and similarities between the various traditions recorded. I can't say I myself cared for G. Brian Karas's accompanying illustrations, which were a little too cartoonish for my taste, but I suspect some young readers will respond to their humor. All in all, a fun little tour of the tooth traditions of the world!

[georginamv · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I appreciated this book because I think it allows children to see the different traditions in regions around the world. This book is about different traditions that children around the world have when a tooth falls out. I was most drawn into the story because the book was told in a child's perspective. Thus, it felt like I was conversing with actual children from the countries, rather than reading from a textbook of information. I enjoyed teaching and also learning different cultures, and I think the children were also intrigued to learn about other rituals. However, even though the book shows the differences, it emphasizes that everyone’s teeth fall out, and it unites all children, which that was my whole purpose of this project. I think that it is important to teach that while there is much variety in the world, we all can relate to each other. I would definitely recommend this book to teachers and parents who have children that are beginning to lose their baby teeth, as it is a good introduction to this milestone, and the book includes useful information about teeth.-Gina

[atlomas · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book has great stories from around the world about what kids do with their baby teeth. This book would be good to read just for your knowledge.

[cardcatalogue · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An adorable introduction to multiculturalism and traditions on a topic that young children can relate to. The supporting illustrations and fun topic can make the reader forget he/she is reading non-fiction!