Teething Trouble





2020. The Year of The Lockdown.


In years to come, people will ask, "So what did you do during The Lockdown.?" Well, personally I put the finishing touches to a project of mine; a children's novel entitled "Teething Trouble."

A novel aimed at 9-11 years old children.



“Don’t you mess around with tooth fairies, oh no, not with them,” she whispered harshly. “You give them the respect that they rightly deserve. They take something from you that you don’t need and they give something in return but don’t you mess with them. They can be nasty and they can hold a grudge. Nearly the death of me they were. You listen to me well. Don’t mess with tooth fairies. Pillow your tooth and spend the money on something for  yourself and  nobody else. If I were you, I’d be careful what you say when you’re near a gnome. I really wouldn’t trust further than I can spit.”
Wiping the sleep from his eyes, Barnaby Spruddge stared down at the small silver coin lying besides his pillow. Living as he did in the brown part of Hope town, he realised that his fairy money was just about the only hard cash that would ever come his way unless he covered some pretty gruesome  chores for his mother or for  the strange rat man living along his route for school. 
Life was so very different for Beth Fothergill living in the high  part of town. Living in a beautiful cottage overlooking a sparkling lake. For her, fairy silver was just the cherry on the top of a very large, well iced cake. The only thing that Barnaby and Beth held in common was the fact that they both lived in the little town of Hope, a town totally dominated by a grim, gruesome glove factory. Day after day, the factory turned out some of the neatest, sweetest fashion accessories for the finest of ladies. Had they only known the ingredients of the mixture used to tan the leather for their gloves, maybe they’d have preferred woollen mittens.

So it continued for the people of Hope with one half of the town struggling to make ends meet, fighting the terrible conditions inside the grim, grimy factory, breaking their backs just  to feed themselves. Meanwhile, in the high part of town, the money men, the wheeler dealers, the big-time operators struggled to decide where to go for their next suit, holiday or car. And, it continued to continue until that fateful day when a few schoolchildren learned that there was something not quite right with all of this tooth fairy business. Indeed, why was it that High Town  children had a higher cash value with every single tooth that they sent to their pillow. It just wasn’t fair, until  Nigel Rivett hatched a plan that was set to turn the entire Fairy Silver market on its head. 
'No good will come of this' Mark my words well. No good will come of this.'

 Follow Beth and Barnaby's story through two violent deaths, the bitterest of Winters and their encounters with the Fairy Folk in search of their own happy ending.

Philip Edwards retired from teaching back in 2013. Since then he has become a keen gardener, plays for three Morris dance sides and has become a grandfather to four and an almost.
As a child, he lived in the village of Ferndale in the Rhondda Valley in South Wales. Together with his brother and cousins, then became the first generation from a long family line to escape the clutches of working underground.
The idea for this story came from a throw-away remark on a radio comedy. Somebody said, "If only we could speculate on the tooth fairy market." That sowed the seed of an idea in my head. Twice a day whilst walking his little terrier, Alfie, the story built and built to include its many quirky twists and turns.
Incidentally, if you know Ferndale or fancy taking a trip there, you will still be able to trace Beth's and Barnaby's walk to school. Oh, and back in the 1960s, Ferndale did have a rat farm and a morgue, and my brother regularly made bus trips with cages of rats, taking them to meet their doom.

I enjoyed this latter part very much, and the way you pulled it all together at the end, with a bit of romance to tie it all together.


I think there is a lot for (almost) young adults to appreciate in this book, and an easy way for them to find out about some of life's lessons.

                Edward Knight 





Teething Trouble is available from :-





My Other Books.


The Bando in the Dark



A story poem for children aged 7-11 and their grandparents. Elli and Sian, two little Welsh girls are worried about their grandfather. They've heard about The Yeti and The Loch Ness Monster but grandad's story of a creature that lurked in the deep, dark coal-mines is just too much to take. Is grandad losing his mind? Enjoy the story as the girls find help from an unexpected source:- a mystic dinner lady. Book includes interactive elements, puzzles and quizzes.
An Apple iBook for iPad and iPhones.
Stepping Back to Health



Suitable for ages 7 - 11 Teachers, parents and the government are concerned at the number of obese children in schools today. Changes in lifestyle (TV's, games consoles etc.) have contributed to our nations children spending less time exercising. This resource tracks the story of an athletic young girl, who is a keen horse rider. After a riding accident, where she breaks her leg, she begins to over eat through boredom and obviously is not able to exercise. Each chapter has a follow up PSHE/Health education activity designed to be thought provoking whilst encouraging a healthy attitude towards food and lifestyle. This is not a dieting book, but a charming story that encourages discussion and debate about healthy lifestyles. A thematic approach crossing PSHE, Science, English and PE.