As the colors of spring, summer and fall drain away, a witch’s curse brings a harsh winter upon the land. Within the woods live families of trolls, including the newest family, the Tooths. As the Tooths family endures their first winter, they also discover a blight that comes with the cold colorless season, the Ogre Blight. One of the Tooths kids, Elas, gets the blight first, and the stench that comes with it causes everyone to keep their distance from him, even his family. The Tooths kids decide to make the trek to Nowhere, where they hope to find the colors and the cure for the ogre stench.
This children’s chapter book begins like an oft-told fable about the origin of winter. Not far into the narrative, however, the story abruptly shifts to the Tooths family of trolls. Between an itchy witch and the cute, furry trolls, the characters are easy to visualize even without the occasional artwork, although kids will find the simple drawings a charming aspect of The Tooths. The writing style reads unnaturally in places, but overall the fantastical story is an entertaining one that children are sure to enjoy. While the intriguing characters introduced in the beginning of the story lack resolution, the primary storyline of the Tooths concludes in a delightful and surprising manner. One particularly nice aspect of Lakshmanan’s story is a highly beneficial lesson that is found at the end of the book. The Tooths combines fantasy with fable into a fun-filled adventure for young children.
