Snacks for Healthy Teeth - ISBNLookup.com

Children's Literature - Leslie Rounds

Part of the "Healthy Teeth" series, this attractive book offers preschoolers and early elementary school students a close-up look at healthy snacks. Large color photographs fill more than half of double-page spreads. These show "Teresa," a five- or six-year-old child eating a variety of snacks and brushing her teeth. One drawing of a glossy white tooth shows the enamel. The following illustration is of a pair of teeth with rather scary-looking, large brown cavities. The first illustration of the book is of the child eating red gelatin. The accompanying caption states: "Teresa eats good snacks. They keep her teeth and gums healthy and strong." Fortunately, she is shown with fruits, vegetables and yogurt in other photos. The text is very brief and printed in large, clear letters on a white background. The book includes a table of contents, an index, a glossary, a brief list of relatively recent books on the topic, and a list of websites. This last resource isn't entirely helpful: one of the three sites listed is for the American Dental Association, which is not child friendly, and the second is a dead link to the American Academy of Dermatology. The third site listed is age-appropriate and provides a simple overview of a variety of tooth-related topics. This attractive book might be a useful addition to collections that need basic information on the teeth for early readers and listeners, but it is not an essential purchase. Reviewer: Leslie Rounds