Grandfather Ratoncito Perez and the Apprentice Tooth Fairy — Virginia Walton Pilegard

A young apprentice tooth fairy, embarrassed to admit she has trouble telling U.S. coins apart, starts her first flight carrying an ungainly load of one hundred pennies. When Night Wind's bullying cold blast sends her spiraling to earth her coin net rips and all her pennies spill. Courtly tooth mouse Grandfather Ratoncito Perez and his grandson Miguel offer to help. Grandfather shows her the differences among U.S. coins. With mended net and a lighter load, the young fairy is on her way before daybreak. On her flight, she composes a coin-counting poem that pleases even the queen of all tooth fairies. Combining Hispanic and Anglo folklore this story gives plenty of clues for recognizing and counting coins. The winsome story, told in English and Spanish, offers a bit of history about Ratoncito Perez. A hands-on craft page enriches mathematics learning and the quirky poem helps students memorize coin combinations.