Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
George Washington's Teeth
Illustrator: Brock Cole
Nonfiction Picture Book
For ages 4 to 7
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003 ISBN: 0374325340
A toothless George Washington! How is it that we have never heard about this side of our first president's life? It is with great enjoyment that we read the amusing rhyming lines about poor George Washington's trials and tribulations on the teeth front. One by one his teeth fell out as he bravely went forth and fought the British. When Washington came home at last, the redcoats vanquished, he only had five teeth in his head. Then, try as he might, those five fell out too. What was this leader of leaders to do?
It is with great relief that we read that it was George Washington's own ingenuity which saved the day. He found all the teeth he lost and had a pair of false teeth made. As we follow Washington on his various adventures, we participate in events of those early days of the American Republic, and we see that even the most famous of people had very commonplace problems. With lively watercolor illustrations this is a book to read again and again.
