Airmail to the Moon

by Tom Birdseye, Stephen Gammell (Illustrator)

When the tooth that she was saving for the tooth fairy disappears, Ora Mae sets out to find the thief and send him "airmail to the moon!"

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Family, Mystery

32 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1988

About the author

I grew up in North Carolina and Kentucky, an ardent fan of anything that smacked of sports, crawdads, mud balls, forts built in the woods, secret codes, bicycles without fenders, butter pecan ice cream, and snow. I was, however, decidedly uninterested in writing-or any academic aspect of school, for that matter-never imagining that at the age of thirty-five I would become a published author. And yet after two unrelated college degrees, a year living in Japan, and ten years of teaching experience, that is what happened. Life, it seems, is full of who'd-a-thought-its.

I live in Corvallis, Oregon, with my wife, Debbie. Our two daughters, Kelsey and Amy, are both off on their own, living and working in Portland. When not writing, working at the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program in creative writing, or in classrooms talking with children and teachers about the writing process, I enjoy rock climbing, alpine ascents, scaling big trees, ski mountaineering, snowshoeing, backpacking, mountain biking, running, playing the string bass, and reading.

Even after many books published and awards won, at times it still amazes me that writing is my profession. It was such a difficult process for me when I was a kid; I can really identify with the reluctant writer in school today. Everything seemed to get in the way of my completing stories: from being left-handed, to my poor spelling skills, from punctuation woes, to especially a lack of ideas. Fortunately, the right people came along at the right time and helped me see past the hurdles, emphasizing instead the joy of the work and the satisfaction to be had in trying to uncover the important truths that can come out of fiction. Now I carry a small notebook at all times and am always on the lookout for material I can use in a story: ordinary people that would make good characters, the funny, telling, or poignant glimpses of life that are triggered by what I see and hear, and the wonderfully wise things people will say at the most unexpected times.

True, I still labor through my stories, wrestling with the spelling beast and the punctuation monster, writing and rewriting, then rewriting some more, until I glean my best, but the process has become one of pleasure instead of pain. I love doing it, and I love sharing it with others. The boy who couldn't imagine himself a writer, now can't imagine himself anything else.

Reviews

[Heather Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for good illustrations and a fan of Stephen Gammell's work, so that's what 1st drew me to this book. Having children of my own made for a good excuse to hang out in the children's section of our public library while I helped them with their selections. This was one of many that we quickly decided we must find another copy to add to our personal home collection. As I volunteered & substituted in the school library for a handful of years...this story was always one of my favorites to read to a group of young minds. The images entertain, the characters make for fun voices when read allowed & the lessons expressed are so cleverly written. In my bestest "Ora Mae Cotton of Crabapple Orchard" voice : "My face is hot. My toes are curling. And right now I feel like a possum up a plum tree. I'm as embarrassed as a zebra without stripes. ... I wonder if the tooth fairy ever sends motar-mouth kids like me airmail to the moon." This is a VERY Good Read!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Airmail to the Moon” is title such most likely since our protagonist Ora, whose nickname is Oreo, repeatedly says the saying “I’m gonna open up a can of gotcha and send ‘em airmail to the moon!”. She repeats this phrase because she is upset that her tooth she lost recently has gone missing and she believes someone stole it and that they should be punished. Oreo lives out in the country and is somewhat of a tomboy. This story is rather funny, as Oreo jumps to conclusion when trying to find out who she thinks stole her tooth. Also each person she talks to has a different tooth-fairy theory on what the tooth-fairy does with the teeth she collects. Although the tooth-fairy is mentioned a few times this story is rather realistic since the events that occur could happen in real life. This is a good story for teaching kids not to jump to conclusion since at the end of the story Oreo discovers she was wrong to have accused people of stealing her tooth.

[Tami Ritchey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cute story about a girl who's lost her tooth and believes that someone stole it from her overnight, as it isn't under her pillow, nor is the money she'd expected from the tooth fairy. She talks to each member of her family to find out their thoughts about where the tooth might have gone (after she accuses each one of taking it of course). It is a mystery that no one can solve... until she stuffs her hands in her pockets in frustration!

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whe Ora Mae Cotton of Crabapple Orchard wakes to find that someone stole her tooth she left for the tooth fairy, she's determined to find out who stole it, and send the thief airmail to the moon. Peppered with back home sayings, this fun read is sure to bring a gapped tooth smile to the readers face, as Ora Mae sets out to solve the mystery of her stolen tooth.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember my Second Grade teacher, Ms. Thomas, reading this to us! :D

[Leann Short · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary

Ora Mae saved her tooth for the tooth fairy. After so long she cant find the tooth, she goes on a mission to find the thief. She said I'm going to send the thief "airmail to the moon". Later she finds the tooth on her and feels bad about calling everyone a thief.

Evaluation

This is a book great for younger students, although, this book has country slang and needs to address that this is not the correct way to pronounce some of these words.

Teaching Idea

This book is great to teaching kids it isn't right to blame people for something you have done. You need to take responsibility for what you do and don't do. You can also teach your students to keep up with your stuff, make sure you take care of the things life has given you.

[Kylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is about Ora Mea Cotton, nicknames oreo and is on a hunt to find out who stole her tooth. She asks each of her family members if they know who stole and each one responds with what the tooth fairy does with teeth. With no real answers she gets so made she cries and then finds her tooth in her pocket right where she left it. Oreo is the main character, and we meet her mother, father, older brother, younger sister, and her pesky neighbor. It is well laid out as each person she talks with is structured like a new adventure until she gives up and realizes she had her tooth. I really liked the ending because she expresses how embarrassed she was once she found her tooth. If use this book in a classroom it will be a funny laugh at the illustrations and ending. But also, a good lesson to learn not to accuse other people.

[Heather Ligman · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is the first time I have seen a book that portrays "hillbillies." some of the slang is so country that I do not believe the city kids where I'm doing my practicum would understand it. however, I love this book. the hillbilliness of this book reminds me of my roots and so many people I know. I think in the right school, this book would be wonderful. a girl loses her first tooth. she wakes up the next morning, and there is nothing under her pillow. she accuses everyone of stealing her tooth, before she finds it in her pocket. this book demonstrates a moral lesson of not jumping to conclusions. toward the end, she talks about how when someone in the family is really hurting, everyone comes to the rescue.

[Joseph Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story talks about a girl named Ora Mae who is on an investigation to find out who stole her lost tooth. She is very certain that the tooth fairy didn't take her tooth so she goes out to her family to see who took her tooth. She goes on to say that she will not give up to see who the "lop-eared rascal" was who took her tooth. Eventually, she finds out that her tooth was in her pocket and it concludes that she didn't have to send anybody airmail to the moon. I thought this book was hilarious just by the way Ora Mae sounded and how she reacted to who took her tooth. This book would be great for 1st graders and up just to show some humor to make the kids' day. I really liked this book and it is highly recommended that this book be read by everybody if they haven't read it yet.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this to be a very enjoyable book, and I think many kids would enjoy it as well. I found myself laughing as I read it as well because of everything she goes through just to find her tooth. I also liked the illustrations in the book. They were very colorful, yet softer toned, but the expressions that are on the little girl's face are very realistic and I think many children can relate to her. However, it doesn't have to be a tooth that makes it relatable. Any child who loses anything is going to feel the same way she did, and they are going to do whatever they can to get it back.

[Kayley King]

I think that this book is really funny and perfect for kids in K-3rd grade. I loved this book when I was younger and after reading it again today, I still really like it. It's fun to read things that remind me of when I was a little kid. I think a fun lesson plan would be to have kids write about why they would want to send air mail to the moon. The illustrations are incredibly funny and I really like the technique that the author used because it makes the illustrations seem a little more kid-like.

[Carin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE THIS BOOK!!! It is about a little girl who loses her lost tooth and she is on the hunt to find the culprit! I read it to my class every year when the first kid looses their tooth at school. There are hilarious play with words in how the little girl-Oreo- talks. If you're a teacher it's a must read to your class!

[Kiana Sims]

This book is a funny, clever book that would be useful for teaching kids about rhyming and repition. The character in this book would be easy for students to relate to as they too have probably lost a tooth. It also would be good for talking about families and feelings as well.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is about a little girl who loses her tooth but believes the tooth fairy stole it. She eventually finds it in her pockets and feels embarrassed about blaming everyone else. You could use this book to talk about not jumping to conclusions when you lose something.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny book and good read-out-loud book.

[Carrie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Way too wordy and ADD for my tastes.

[Katie Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect book for when the kindergarteners start loosing their teeth.

[Lorelie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can't believe I haven't read this one before now! Adorable story. Love the illustrations.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ora Mae sets out to find the thief who "stole" her tooth. And when she finds them she's going to POW! send them airmail to the moon! except perhaps she might be mistaken...