A Guide to the Best of Southern California : FOR KIDS : Fairy Play

For many moms and dads, playing the tooth fairy is a snap: Retrieve the loot and leave a coin. But Tom and Kathy Swantko wanted to make the most of their daughters’ make-believe years. So, the Reseda couple created a package of 12 different messages--written in calligraphy on fairy-dusted paper--to tuck under sleepyheads. That’s right, Letters From the Tooth Fairy.

The $10 packet also contains a few pinches of glittery fairy dust to sprinkle on the pillow, a storage pouch for baby teeth and a guide for grown-up helpers.

Each note explains why fairies collect “moon pearls,” plays up the importance of dental hygiene and--best of all--offers a glimpse of fairy life: “Please take care of your teeth so my necklace (of moon pearls) will sparkle when I dance in the Enchanted Meadow with the other fairies.”

Letters From the Tooth Fairy is available at I Wish boutiques in Westside Pavilion, (213) 475-7675 , and Sherman Oaks Fashion Square, (818) 907-7133; or through the Swantkos, (818) 345-7501.