We love reading in our family! When I’m not reading to my three young kids, they can often be found browsing through piles of books on their own. Recently, we decided to see what books we could find about teeth at our local library. My six-year-old just had her first visit from the tooth fairy, so teeth are a hot topic at our house right now!
I had no idea there’d be so many clever, diverse and well-written books about teeth in our small town library! These five books have quickly become some of our favorites and may have to become permanent fixtures in our family’s library:
The Tooth Book by Dr. Seuss writing as Theo Lesieg
We actually already own this book, and it’s always been a favorite. It’s an easy read, and the fun rhyming words and silly uses/misuses of teeth always get my kids giggling. And you can never be reminded enough to, “… never bite your dentist when he works inside your head. Your dentist is your teeth’s best friend. Bite carrot sticks instead!”
Clarabella’s Teeth by An Vrombaut
This cheerfully illustrated book is perfect for very young kids. Poor Clarabella the crocodile has so many teeth to brush that she’s in danger of missing all the fun that the other animals are having. The subtle message that brushing your teeth is important comes across in a fun and approachable way, and the book provides a great opportunity to start a conversation about daily brushing with your child.
Open Wide: Tooth School Inside by Laurie Keller
If it’s older kids that you want to inspire to take care of their teeth, then this is the book for you/them! It’s packed full of interesting facts (Did you know that it was hard for George Washington to smile because his dentures had sharp hooks, screws and springs? Neither did I!). Every page is packed with funny illustrations, sidebars and comments from the thirty-two teeth, I mean students, featured in the book. We were still noticing new things we’d missed even after the third reading of this cool book!
Rotten Teeth by Laura Simms
What do Show and Tell and rotten teeth have to do with each other … everything! This book tells the touching story of a dentist’s daughter who doesn’t think she has anything interesting to share with her classmates. When she finally shows up with a mysterious brown bag and begins to speak in the front of the class for the first time, the other students are intrigued. What ensues is told through clever storytelling and extremely expressive illustrations. This was definitely my favorite of our new teeth books!
Silverlicious by Victoria Kann
So I saved my kids’ favorite book for last! My two girls wanted me to read this over, and over, and over again. And while reading the same story time and again is usually not my favorite thing, I didn’t mind so much with this cute book. When Pinkalicious loses what she thinks is her sweet tooth, she receives visits from Cupid, the Easter Bunny, a Christmas Elf and finally the Tooth Fairy who help teach her where sweetness really comes from. Her notes back and forth with these fairy-tale characters are hilarious and very creative!
I hope you enjoy reading and discovering these fun books about teeth with some of the children in your life!
