Seuss on Teeth: Learning is a Laugh with 'The Tooth Book'

Cover of 'The Tooth Book' The best way to ensure that your child still has healthy, natural teeth at 50 or 60 is to encourage good oral health habits by the time she’s 5 or 6. And who better to ease youngsters into the wonderful world of teeth than friendly, accessible Theodore Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss? Authored by Dr. Seuss under another pen name, Theo LeSeig, “The Tooth Book” is a whimsical, entertaining and educational introduction to teeth.

Policeman with teeth From “Who has teeth?” – zebras, policemen, red-headed uncles – to “Where are there teeth?” – north, south, in a lion’s mouth – to “Why are there teeth?” – they come in handy when you chew – we are guided through the high points of teeth with memorable rhymes and cheery illustrations full of big, beautiful teeth (courtesy of artist Joseph Mathieu).

As you might expect from a Seuss creation, “The Tooth Book” is more than just a glib story. Lessons for the four-to-eight-year-old audience abound. We learn how human teeth are different from animal teeth, we learn the difference between temporary and permanent teeth, and we learn how to take care of our teeth so we don’t lose that second set.

Of course Seuss, even under another name, is still Seuss, so even in the midst of all the learning, we (and our kids) get to enjoy that irreverent sense of humor we all know so well: “And never bite your dentist, your teeth’s best friend – bite someone else instead.”