Painless dentistry is lightened with a dose of laughing gas. Fans of Keller’s wacky The Scrambled States of America (1999) will find this a fact-filled, sure-fire, kid-centric introduction to a familiar staple of the elementary school curriculum: dental health. Here, Keller’s inspired conceit—a “tooth” school “class” presided over by the single-minded Dr. Flossman—offers almost endless opportunities for kid-pleasing puns and clever classroom asides. The book begins with roll call of the “incoming” students: thirty-two teeth (eight incisors, four canines, eight premolars, twelve molars, and four wisdom). The “school” day then progresses through typical classroom routines: announcements (“GO CHOMPERS”), a lesson featuring a cross-section chart of a tooth, a student report on “Primary Teeth,” an “informative” video on the Tooth Fairy, group process (incisors together please!), lunch (followed by brushing and flossing, of course), a lesson on tooth decay and cavities, and student reports on the history of dentistry. Check out the funny but fact-based multiple choice and True/False tests (Keller thoughtfully provides the answers). Dynamic book design mimics the untutored artwork of a particularly fun-loving and terribly talented ten-year-old. Keller employs a busy mix of stamp-pad art, ruled paper, notebook sheets, acrylics, colored pencil, crayon, marker drawings, and collage. Spiced with ample cartoony little asides (featuring appropriately costumed, fully ambulatory, and pleasingly smart-mouthed talking teeth), Keller’s art delivers the “message” while entertaining, inviting close study and provoking belly laughs. A perfect gift for the dentist who has everything. Every waiting room (and library) needs a copy. (Picture book. 8-10)
Pub Date: May 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-8050-6192-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2000
PLB 0-679-99138-7 Since moving to Philadelphia, six-year-old Lily Hill (Private Lily, 1998, etc.) has had almost nightly problems with bad dreams and bed-wetting. Embarrassed by these accidents, she doesn’t see how she can accept a friend’s invitation to a sleepover birthday party. Inventive and persistent, Lily devises a foolproof plan with her brother, Case’she will use a washable sleeping bag and pack an extra set of clothes. To her surprise, Lily also learns that bed-wetting is a common problem among her peers when another child’s problem is carelessly announced to the entire first grade. For those children facing a similar battle, Lily’s fear of exposure and plan of attack will ring true, making this the perfect read-aloud. Gutsy by nature, Lily is not going to let a small problem prevent her from attending her best friend’s birthday party. Brief and satisfying for the audience. (Fiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-679-89138-2
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The latest entry in the History News series covers the highlights of medicine, beginning 20,000 years ago with trepanning, and covering major figures such as Galen, Pasteur, and Nightingale, as well as such lesser known doctors as Susruta, who made wax noses for people who had lost their own as part of a ``familiar Indian punishment.'' The gimmick of the series, of course, is that each volume features ``reprints'' from back issues of newspapers, complete with fake ads, corny jokes, sensational headlines, and tabloid-style writing, but lacking in some important basics. Transfusion is covered, but without a word on AIDS; the miracle of antibiotics makes news, but not the development of antibiotic-resistant strains; the development of X rays sees print, but not the problems associated with radiation. In other words, this is a classic journalistic whitewash, with all the glories of medical discoveries, but none of the disgraces. The format, with full-color and black-and-white illustrations, is elaborate, but the content is weak. (index, not seen, diagrams, charts, chronology) (Nonfiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-7636-0316-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1997
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