Why Do I Brush My Teeth?

Children's Literature - Carol Raker Collins

The "QEB My Body" series is written for children as an introduction to health concepts. There are notes provided for parents and teachers to guide them in related discussions and activities. In this book, the reader is shown the importance of taking care of his or her teeth. Tooth function, growth, shape, and components, plus the causes of tooth decay are all presented in a child-friendly manner. The importance of brushing properly, eating well, and visiting the dentist often are all stressed. Photos of children, diagrams, explanations, and activities are laid out in a clear and attractive fashion. Some activities are: crushing a cracker between two spoons to see how molars work, and putting an egg in a glass of vinegar to see how acid removes the calcium from teeth. The one activity that seems off-point is putting an "icing sugar" mix into holes in potatoes to show how a dentist fills teeth. Flour paste might have been a better choice since a dentist would never put sugar on teeth. A glossary and index are included. Reviewer: Carol Raker Collins, Ph.D.