The Little Vampire Who Lost a TOOTH!        

 

The Little Vampire Who Lost a TOOTH!
Elaine Bickell
Ill. Raymond McGrath
Scholastic (2026)
Picture book
32 pages, Paperback
ISBN 978 1 77543 996 7

 

‘Little Vampire went out early one night,
excited about all the things he would bite.’

 With the deserved success of The Little Ghost Who Lost Her BOO! (2019) and The Little Witch Who Lost her BROOM! (2024), Elaine Bickell has now produced a third volume in the series, The Little Vampire Who Lost a TOOTH! The common factor is not that the characters are supernatural beings but rather they are supernatural beings who are children. (They might even be children who have dressed up for Halloween.)

 Elaine Bickell’s verses are cheerful, witty and readable, with enjoyable rhythms:

‘He opened his mouth, got ready to nibble…
but, oh no! His tooth had a wobbly wibble!’

 Look at how artist Raymond McGrath has depicted Little Vampire. His traditional evening dress with swirling cape creates lovely curves, which are reflected in his gracefully-curved shirt, trousers, waistcoat, shoes, fingers, ears and kiss-curl. Only his fangs are pointed. Whoops! Fang. His fang is pointed. What a calamity! Little Vampire has lost a wiggly tooth. Fortunately, his supernatural friends are quick to comfort him.

 Little Ghost offers him an ice cream:

‘Try eating something you don’t need to bite.

Have my ice scream, it’ll do the trick.
No need to bite -just give it a lick.’

 Flying by, Little Witch, has toffees to offer. The bats enjoy them but Little Vampire cannot be consoled:  

“Yum,” said Vampire,“but chewing’s not right.
I am a vampire and vampires bite!”

 Further attempts at aiding Little Vampire fail but then comes the funniest part of this story. The readers (and their listeners) are invited to take part in reassuring the Little Vampire. And the best part is that all young readers do have the knowledge which will bring him joy. It’s no spoiler to say that young readers can take full credit for the gloriously happy ending which ensues.

 Dawn McMillan describes The Little Vampire Who Lost a TOOTH! as a not-too-scary story, and her jolly verse certainly keeps the mood light. The pictures also add to the fun. Who expected spider monsters to wear baseball caps, or the Little Mummy to sport a smiley-face T-shirt over his wrappings?

A squadron of pink-eared vampire bats fly in formation with Little Vampire (and walk in formation with him when he walks). When he hangs upside-down from a bridge (to lick a lollipop) the bats hang beside Little Vampire in a neat curve.

 The witty detail in the charming illustrations create a droll child’s-eye-view of Halloween. As Little Vampire flies over the park, young readers will spot that the ice cream stall is being operated by a genial Abominable Snowman. An amiable tentacled monster is walking his pet rat on a lead and an even more amiable and even more tentacled octopus is running the soup van. Looking at the pictures is as rewarding as reading the words

 Ideal for shared reading – of both the words and the pictures.

 

Trevor Agnew
19 Oct 2026  [Review 3868.]

Keith Goes Glam  Elaine Bickell

                                                                                         

Keith Goes Glam
Elaine Bickell
Ill. Minky Stapleton
Scholastic (2026)
Picture book
24 pages, Paperback
ISBN 978 1 77543 976 9

  

Keith Goes Glam is a companion volume to Keith and the Kitten (2025). Keith is a self-centred chihuahua, whose life is made miserable when his owner, known as Mama, acquires a feline named Queenie. Mama assumes the pair will get on like a brother and sister – which shows that she knows nothing about sibling rivalry. Keith and Queenie fight like cats and dogs. Keith Goes Glam sees the conflict spread into the world of canine fashion!

‘Their Mama loved dressing her little Keith up.
Queenie cat teased, “What a widdle pup.”’

 Elaine Bickell tells the story in cute rhyming couplets, which are neatly matched by the beyond-cute illustrations of the amazingly amusing Minky Stapleton.  A clever montage shows Mama taking a series of fashion shots of Keith in different outfits she has purchased for him. Pom-pom, bows and a top hat are key elements along with a double helping of sequins and pearls. His expressions in the photos are priceless. Queenie loves every moment of Keith’s chagrin.

‘Mama’s big weakness was sparkly clothes,
glittery booties and collars and bows.’

 Worse follows when Mama buys a hot-pink carry-bag for her dog. It matches her hot-pink shoes and goes nicely with the hot-pink bow Keith is forced to wear. With his head sticking out of the bag, Keith is a picture of canine fury and embarrassment, as Mama carries him up the street.

‘Down at the shops, he was patted and poked.
“Awww, he’s adorable,” everyone joked.’

 Then Keith sees his chance to get his revenge on the smirking Queenie. A shop is offering ‘a double pet bag, just perfect for two.’ With lots of barking and yapping he draws Mama’s attention to it. She buys the glittery golden backpack model. (And Keith gets a matching glittery gold ribbon, collar and K badge!) Keith is delighted because Queenie is about to find herself being carted around in the bag. Several pictures shows him smirking at the prospect of his revenge.

 

Into the bag goes Queenie and, too late, Keith realises his mistake.

‘”Uh-oh,” said Keith. He’d not thought of that.’

Young readers will have spotted the drawback in Keith’s cunning scheme long before Keith did and will enjoy the final pages even more. A thoroughly unhappy ending is had by all.

 

Trevor Agnew
23 July 2026  [Review 3854.]

 

 

 

 Keith and the Kitten   
Elaine Bickell Minky Stapleton

Keith and the Kitten
Vol.1 Keith vs Queenie
Elaine Bickell
Illustrator: Minky Stapleton
Scholastic (2025)
Picture book, paperback, 24 pages  
ISBN 978 1 77543 930 1 

 

‘A charming Chihuahua, whose name was Keith,

Had big bulgy eyes and sharp little teeth.’

Keith is a lucky dog. He is spoiled by his owner, given fine foods and cute clothes. He is even allowed to sleep in her bed. Then comes a shocking new arrival: a kitten!

‘It’s your new baby sister – come and meet Queenie.’

Keith thinks his comfortable lifestyle is threatened by Queenie. The reader soon realises that, although tiny, Keith is also a bully. A cunning bully. He damages furniture and blames Queenie.

Unfortunately for selfish Keith, his owner adores Queenie:

‘Move over Keith, Queenie’s sharing our bed.’

Keith’s sneaky effort to destabilise the sleeping arrangements backfires and he is exiled to his own uncomfy plastic basket. Meanwhile Queenie is queening it in the owner’s bed. Keith has got what he deserved.

Young readers will soon spot that Elaine Bickell has created a crafty parable about the arrival of a new sibling.

She also tells a good story in rhyming couplets. The text is easy to read and the verse scans well. Key words are printed in bold type for emphasis.

Artist Minky Stapleton has created striking illustrations of the two combatants. Keith may be small and cute but we can also see his sharp little teeth. Queenie has huge eyes and a fluffy silhouette, but closer examination shows a pair of vampire style fangs. Their desperate manoeuvres as they fight their cat-and-dog battle battles are hilarious.

A second volume is promised.

 Trevor Agnew 

29 Sep 2025 [Review 3790]