Chandra, D. & Comora, M. (2003). George Washington's Teeth. New York : Farrar Straus Giroux.Summary
Narrated in verse, this tale tells of Washington's life-long struggle with his teeth. Over the years, Washington loses all his teeth and must deal with the embarrassment and pain of tooth decay as well as the discomfort and ill-fit of dentures made without modern technological advancements. This book is beautifully illustrated with an annotated timeline at the end of the story that shows Washington's tooth loss as well as excerpts from his letters and diaries. The timeline also shows pictures of his dentures.
My Impressions
I actually had no idea that Washington struggled with this problem throughout his life and leadership. Maybe this was something that we talked about briefly in history class, but it wasn't highlighted and this is definitely an interesting side to Washington. I really liked the historical facts at the end of the story verse. It was very interesting to read about how much money Washington spent on his dental woes throughout his lifetime and how it affected his diet and health. The pictures of the dentures he wore were also fascinating to look at and really showed the lack of dental technology in the past and how far we have come to not only combat tooth decay but to alleviate pain and fit people with more modern dentures today.
Professional Reviews
K-Gr 5-In 28 rhymed, four-line stanzas, Chandra and Comora tell the sad story of George Washington's teeth. Beginning with the onset of the Revolutionary War, the countdown takes poor George from just about a mouthful of painful, rotten teeth to a state of complete "tooflessness"-and then to a pair of entirely successful dentures. Cole's watercolor cartoon illustrations are just right, giving comic vent to George's despair, hopelessness, fevered attempts at finding his teeth, and final triumphant, toothy strut at a ball. A beautifully illustrated four-page time line shows portraits of the dentally challenged first president and photos of his homegrown, incredibly uncomfortable-looking dentures, made of gold and hippopotamus ivory. (Contrary to legend, Washington never had wooden ones.) Given that his death was probably hastened by an untreated infection from old root fragments in his gums, this is not only a historical treatise, but also a great lesson in dental hygiene. Paired with Laurie Keller's antic Open Wide: Tooth School Inside (Holt, 1998), it could be used as a real-life example of the havoc wreaked by bad teeth. With 17 sources listed as contributing to the art and dental information on the time line, this accurate and intriguing slice of history should find a place in any elementary library collection. --School Library Journal; Ann Welton, Grant Elementary School, Tacoma, WA; 2003. (Retrieved from http://catalog.lapl.org/carlweb/)
K^-Gr. 3. Second only to kids' curiosity about George Washington and the cherry tree may be their interest in his teeth. Did the prez wear wooden dentures? Chandra and Comora set the record straight with wit, verve, and a generous amount of sympathy for poor Washington and his dental woes. Unfurling smoothly against a backdrop of Washington's career as soldier and president, the tale goes forward in sprightly, read-aloud rhyme that never falters: "Poor George has two teeth in his mouth / The day the votes came in. / The people had a President /But one afraid to grin." And illustrator Cole is at his absolute best here, totally at ease with human gesture and expression. Each spread is a tableaulike scene (or scenes) filled with costumed characters busily engaged in humorously visualizing the actual history. The color palette and energy of the art harks back to Cole's Buttons (1999), but there's much more detail and movement in these pictures, which work well as amusing preparation for the more sedately illustrated, annotated time line of George's dental decay that precedes a full roundup of historical sources the authors used in telling the tale. This is history for youngsters that will stick; it's wild and fun and factual, without a trace of mockery. --Booklist; Stephanie Zvirin, 2003. (Retrieved from http://catalog.lapl.org/carlweb/)
In a clever approach to history, Chandra and Comora string together spry stanzas describing the dental difficulties that plagued George Washington. Rhyming verse explains how the general's rotten teeth gradually fall out during the Revolutionary War: "George crossed the icy Delaware/ With nine teeth in his mouth./ In that cold and pitchy dark,/ Two more teeth came out!" Cole complements this verse by rendering a sly watercolor twist on Emanuel Leutze's famous painting George Washington Crossing the Delaware, in a full-spread treatment: Washington still stands in quiet dignity, but the boatmen are grinning. By the time Washington is elected president, just two teeth remain in his mouth. Kids will love the details, such as the way Washington uses a pair of his molars to fashion a mold from which the dentist makes a set of dentures (these are carved from hippopotamus ivory, and even shown, in a photograph in the afterword). Infusing his bustling watercolor vignettes with comic hyperbole, Cole easily keeps pace with the lighthearted narrative. One especially funny image shows the president sprawled on the floor, legs in the air, after viewing a newly painted portrait ("George stood up to have a look-/ He fell back on his fanny./ `It doesn't look like me!' he roared./ `It looks like Martha's granny!' "). An annotated timeline at the end includes quotes from the leader's letters and diaries chronicling his relentless efforts to hide his dental problems and the extent to which they caused him chronic pain and embarrassment. A highly palatable historical morsel. All ages. --Publishers Weekly, February 2002. (Retrieved from http://catalog.lapl.org/carlweb/)
Suggested Use in Library
This book is a great lesson in the importance of dental hygiene and how this kind of pain can affect a person's life. Written for a young audience, I think this book would be well suited for a story time on either presidents' lives or the importance of teeth. I could also see this book being used to tell the story of George Washington to honor the Presidents Day holiday.
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SLIS 5420/Module 11
Informational Books
November 1-7, 2010
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