Bibliography
Chandra, D, & Comora, M. (2003). George washinton's teeth. New York, NY: Farrar Straus Giroux.
Summary of the Plot
One of the most common myths about our first President, George Washington was that he had a set of wooden false teeth. His battle with his rotting teeth and toothaches began while fighting the British during the Revolutionary War at the age of twenty – four. From falling out to his dentist pulling out his rotten teeth, by the time he became the President of the United States he only had two teeth left. This created such a problem for George Washington that he himself came up with the solution to his toothless problem.
Vi's Vibes
What a unique way to teach historical facts about our first president. I think that everyone has heard the tale that his teeth were made from wood. I certainly had and assumed true until reading this story. Certainly gives children of today a look at how dentists practiced during that time frame. I enjoyed this story since it does give students a real look at the way life was during the Revolutionary War.
Reviews
During 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.-Ann Welton, Grant Elementary School, Tacoma, WA
School Library Journal January 2003
Utilization for Library Classes
The students can create a pamphlet, brochure or flyer on good dental hygiene.
The students could make their own timeline of George Washington’s life and the loss of his real to teeth to the invention of false teeth made out of elephant tusk.
No comments:
Post a Comment