Author: Sarah Holmlund
Publisher:
Rating: WORTHY!
Erratum:
Page 11 uses "lot's" instead of "lots".
This was an interesting, if slightly uninspired, story about a monster who neglects his teeth, despite warnings from friends and parents alike, and despite complaints about his bad breath. Aren’t monsters supposed to have bad breath?! Children are all about the here and now, and it’s a rare one who looks to the future, so I don’t doubt that many parents will see something of their own little monsters in this guy.
He gets away with it, too – or thinks he does – for a while, until one morning he wakes up with an awful pain in his jaw – and it’s not from eating the local villagers. Yep, he has cavities, so he now has to go sit in the dentist’s chair and take his lumps – of amalgam – or composite – or whatever they’re using now to plug the gaps!
It’s this which finally teaches him the error of his ways. It’s no fun having someone poke around in your mouth and ending up with an aching jaw from endless commands to “open wide”. The monster resolves from this point on to follow good advice.
I loved the art work in this story, and the story itself was concise and to the point. Combined, these two factors make it easy to absorb the important advice, and retain it. I like children’s stories to have an educational component and good health advice is definitely an education worth having. Teeth aren’t only important for eating and cosmetically; tooth and gum diseases have a way of going beyond the merely disfiguring. They can affect your heart and shorten your life. Good brushing habits will last a lifetime and make your lifetime last. I recommend this story. Buy it for your kid and take home a little Holmlund security.
