The Tooth Book Bright & Early Board Books TM

Customer Reviews

The stupid tooth book

2005-08-29
Boring, boring, and oh, did I mention boring? It was short, not terribly clever at all, and the illustrations are not even Dr. Suess. I felt ripped off. I don't know why I thought it was tooth "fairy" related, as our daughter just lost her first tooth and we thought this would tie in. It doesn't. Neither of my kids (3 and 6)liked this even a little. They both said it was...boring.

Theo. LeSieg on the importance of caring for your teeth

2004-06-05
You start off reading "The Tooth Book" wondering why Dr. Seuss, writing under his Theo. LeSieg pseudonym, is taking so much time answering the question "Who has teeth?" That is because the answer seems rather obvious and even more so when this book gets to the importance of teeth to chewing, smiling, speaking, and trapeze artists who are supporting their partners by something they are holding on to with their teeth. Then the book touches on a few animals that do not have teeth, and again you find yourself asking "So what?" At which point the book springs it trap and we find out that "The Tooth Book" is not only entertaining, it is (surprise, surprise) educational as well.

The final section of this book is devoted to the idea of protecting your teeth because you only get two sets. Even though kids will lose their first set of teeth, they do not get the same deal on their second set so keeping them in good shape would be a good thing. Some of the advice is, as you would expect from Dr. Seuss, a bit absurd (do not use your teeth to chomp down trees like beavers), but most of it is on target, even if the book does not go into much depth. The illustrations, as is usually the case with "LeSeig," who writes more about the real world than Dr. Seuss, is by a different illustrator than the author, in this case Roy McKie. Dr. Seuss does wonderfully strange animals and people, while McKie illustrates them in a more conventional manner.

"The Tooth Book" is one of the Bright and Early Books for Beginning Beginners. However, obviously you want to pick your moment before introducing this particular book to your young child. Even when you kid starts losing their baby teeth it might be too soon for them to read this one, but certainly when you are teaching them to care for their permanent teeth this is a book that will be helpful in giving them an idea of what to expect. "LeSieg" does not provide specific things for kids to do to help keep their teeth in good shapes, but that information can certainly come from other sources. But he does at least get beginning beginner readers to think favorable about dental care (and even dentists as well).

Great Book 2004-05-11
My 3-year-old loves this book! It gives the youngsters the idea of baby teeth and permentent teeth. The pictures are cute and the text are fun too. My son giggles every time we read it to him.

illustrations are not multi-cultural 2001-04-16
You get a view into 60's white america. The only people of color in this book are a policeman, and a caricature. I don't have a problem with other Seuss books where they are set in fantasy land and the whole world is make believe. This is set in everyday life, and I think its best left on the bookshelf, it has nothing to offer my child who has and who lives in a world where folks have brown eyes and black hair, not to mention various shades of skin colour. The rhyming is also not entertaining enough to enjoy and makeup for this one-dimensional "white" depiction of the world.

Preschool Reading Education About Teeth and Teething! 2001-02-04
Adults can quickly forget that children spend much of their time from ages 2 through 10 either getting teeth or losing their baby teeth. It is seldom a pleasant experience (except perhaps if a generous tooth fairy is involved), and must make a child feel like it will never end. Dr. Seuss (writing under his pen name of Theo. LeSieg, an anagram of Geisel) has created the world's best book for helping children learn about teeth, teething, and how to read. What a great gift for each generation of youngsters!

The book is conveniently organized into the kind of questions a reporter would ask.

Who has teeth? These include red-headed uncles, policemen, zebras, unicycle riders, camels and their riders, and little girls named Ruthie.

Where are there teeth? You will find them on mountain tops, in the air, underground, east, west, north, south, and in a lion's mouth.

Why are there teeth? "They come in handy when you chew." But they are also useful for smiling, work (especially if you are an acrobat and hold someone by your teeth), and speech.

Who doesn't have teeth? The snails and jelly fish are sadly bereft.

What about peoples' teeth? You will grow 2 sets, with 32 in the second set. And you will not get any more, so you'd better take care of them. So don't chew trees like a beaver, or use your teeth to open bottles, or eat sweet junk food ("Billy Billings [has] fifty fillings.").

For you, they will always be "handy when you smile. So keep your teeth around awhile."

"And never bite your dentist . . . your teeth's best friend. Bite someone else instead."

The humorous treatment of the tooth subject will help intrigue your child. You can expect to get questions about why all of these toothy things occur, so you should probably look up the answers before you introduce the book to optimize the educational opportunity. Or talk to your dentist or dental hygienist on your next visit.

The illustrations are not by Dr. Seuss in this new edition, but they are wonderfully done. The teeth are large, in the center of your attention, and beautiful. This serves to underscore the message of having teeth be a positive part of everyone's life.

As a prereader, this book is good for repetition. The words "tooth" and "teeth" are almost everywhere. This can help your child learn to identify those words. When that identification can be done, you can point to the words in the story when you come to them and your child can "read" them to you then aloud. You can eventually add other words that are repeated like "smile" and the articles like "a" and "the."

The illustrations can add clues to allow you to help your youngster identify other words like "red" and "trombones."

After you have finished enjoying this story, I suggest that at some point you begin to ask parallel questions about other parts of the body. This approach can help expand your child's awareness of what makes humans different and what is good about that.

Sink your teeth into this learning opportunity to become a better parent . . . and you'll have a real mouthful! And your child's mouthful will be healthier and your child more literate, too!!

great book!!! 2008-07-14
This book is wonderful. My daughter started with this book when she was only 5 or 6 months old. Its great because it teaches kids about teeth and to take care of them. My daughter is 19 months old now and still reaches for this book all the time!

Fun Book for any child 2008-05-07
My son loves all the Dr. Seus books, great for any child who is first learning to read.

GOTTA LOVE DR. SEUSS 2008-04-13
I have a five year old and the Dr. Seuss books are perfect for him to learn to read with...plus they are silly and fun

Awesome and thorough book! 2008-01-22
This is a great book - describes who has teeth, why they're important, and why it matters to take care of them - and it does so in a fun and entertaining manner. I am getting this book for all my pregnant girlfriends! This is the new baby shower gift for me!

Cute, but not my favorite Dr Suess Book 2006-11-05
I got this for my 9 month old thinking it would be appropriate since she was starting to get her teeth. It's a cute book, but not my favorite or hers. It has a lot of concepts in it she just won't get for many years to come (loosing teeth etc..) but I'm still glad it's part of our library. The board book is just perfect for her little hands.