The Tooth Book

A classic work by Dr. Seuss writing as Theo. LeSieg, with new illustrations by Joe Mathieu, about who has teeth, who doesn't, and how to keep the ones you have!

Children's Literature

"Who has teeth? Well, look around and you'll find out who. You'll find that red-headed uncles do." So begins this unmistakable Seuss combination of rhythm and humor. Theo LeSieg is Dr. Seuss' pen name for books he authored but did not illustrate. (His real name was Theodore Geisel, and LeSieg is Geisel spelled backwards.) The text is cleverly illustrated with lots of teeth—zebra teeth, camel teeth and even "little girls named Ruthy teeth." An offspring of the Beginner Books, this "Bright and Early" series book is designed for a younger age group. The story is shorter, the vocabulary is limited and the pictures are good clues to the text. The rhyming text and zany illustrations will hold the attention of the youngest listeners, and beginning readers will have fun with the humor and rhyme. 2000, Random House, $7.99. Ages 3 to 7. Reviewer: Cheryl Peterson

It s difficult to imagine the children s book landscape without Dr. Seuss, who is, almost half a century after The Cat in the Hat, the best-recognized children s book writer in the country. But until Dr. Seuss -- a.k.a. Theodor Seuss Geisel -- reinvented the genre with his colorful and exuberant Sneetches, Grinches, Zaxes, and Zooks, children s books were often little more than literal-minded lessons and cautionary tales intended to transform young readers into productive citizens.