Who Needs Teeth?

Children's Literature

Each of the titles in this series follows a standard format. After the table of contents page there is a letter directed to parents or caregivers. It explains the purpose of these early readers which is to teach specific phonic sound and words that kids would normally encounter. The opposing pages contains Mother Goose rhymes, many of which will be known, but some may be more obscure and difficult for kids to relate to, although they do contain the phonic sounds emphasized in the book. The simple text is printed in large type and most of the page is filled with a crisp, clear colorful photograph. The books are available in three levels (A, B, and C) and the complexity increases as you move along in the alphabet with longer sentences, multi-syllabic words and a decrease in rebus support. At the end of each title there is a word list, game that reinforces the learning objective (instructions provided), and a very short bibliography of at least three age appropriate and fairly recent titles that complement and or expand on the focus of the text. There is also an index. There is some good information here about teeth, such as why we need them and the differences between the teeth of rodents, grass eaters and meat eaters. Kids will learn from the text and the inset pictures, which are close ups of the various kinds of teeth. Some of the books in this series for the younger readers are more interactive and ask questions about what was seen or learned. Part of the "Compass Point Phonics Readers" series, Set B. 2004, Compass Point, Ages 6 to 7.
—Marilyn Courtot