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Title: George Washington's Teeth by Deborah Chandra, Madeleine Comora, Brock Cole ISBN: 0-374-32534-0 Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux Pub. Date: 03 February, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (3 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Everything young kids will want to know about George's teeth
Comment: There are lots of ways of chronicling the change in the national temperament, and one of them is that when I was a kid it was the story of George Washington chopping down the cherry tree that was what stood out. However, the inquiring minds of the nation's youth today are now going to be more intrigued by the legend the first President had wooden teeth, which is precisely how Deborah Chandra and Madeleine Comora, aided and abetted by Brock Cole's pictures, manages to teach young readers a nice little lesson in the finer points of historiography.
Told in four line verse, "George Washington's Teeth" relates an imaginative set of encounters between General Washington and his dentist as the number of teeth in the mouth of the Father of Our Country decreases one by one over the years leading to Independence and the Presidency. Well, that is not entirely true since the authors have Washington losing two teeth the night be crossed the Delaware, but that left him with seven at that point in American history, which is a lucky number that fits the victory at Trenton. Eventually Washington is elected President, which is good, but has no teeth left, which is bad (especially when having your portrait painted). Fortunately, he comes up with a solution.
The first part of "George Washington's Teeth" is pretty whimsical, but then the last part of the book contains a time line of important events in George Washington's life from his own letters, diaries, and accounts. However, instead of dealing primarily with the highpoints of Washington's personal and political life, we learn about what historians have uncovered about his teeth: from having already lost two teeth by the time he was twenty two and the rest were all black and rotted, to eating pickled tripe because it does not hurt his teeth, and a letter requesting plaster of Paris to make some false teeth. These are the sort of bizarre historical details that can trick young readers into thinking history is fun.
There are even photographs of Washington's last sent of dentures. For the record, they were not wooden, but carved from hippopotamus ivory, the palate swaged from a sheet of gold, and springs made of coiled gold wire. Hopefully there are some other small nuggets of historical gold that Chandra and Comora, or like minded individuals, can turn to for books in the same spirit as this one.
Rating: 5
Summary: WELL RESEARCHED AND WITTY
Comment: Here's the real truth on our first President's tooth! No, he didn't really have a set of wooden teeth. But, poor man, the Revolution wasn't the only battle he fought. We learn in this delightfully illustrated book that from the age of 24 he lost a tooth a year. Hence, by the time he reached the presidency there were only two teeth left. (Their whereabouts in his mouth seem to be unknown).
Based on historical records as well as Washington's letters and diaries this is a sprightly, fascinating account of the root of his problem (pun intended).
Youngsters will learn a bit of history as well as enjoy a rollicking good read. For instance, they'll learn about Washington crossing the Delaware, and that he then had only nine remaining teeth. He didn't have too many teeth to chatter during the frozen winter at Valley Forge as there were only seven left.
According to a letter Washington wrote he did at one time wear false teeth secured by wires hitched around his remaining teeth. His last set of dentures were made by a Dr. Greenwood, and carved from hippopotamus ivory.
This is a well researched book complete with excerpts from Washington's letters and diaries. Witty pastel illustrations enhance the text. For all ages.
- Gail Cooke
Rating: 5
Summary: Fantastic fun, and history too!
Comment: Comora and Chandra have made a book to delight wordsmiths and history buffs alike. A verse narrative, each stanza informs by amusing. The great craft of the poem is never visible, but always in evidence -- none of the inane repetition that often informs such efforts is found here.
The whimsical illustrations are more than fine, and laid out to support and complement, rather than compete with the words.
A true delight for President's Day, and many others besides.
Bravi!
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Title: How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning by Rosalyn Schanzer ISBN: 0688169937 Publisher: HarperCollins Pub. Date: 24 December, 2002 List Price(USD): $16.99 |
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Title: Punctuation Takes a Vacation by Robin Pulver, Lynn Rowe Reed ISBN: 0823416879 Publisher: Holiday House Pub. Date: March, 2003 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: There's a Frog in My Throat: 440 Animal Sayings a Little Bird Told Me by Loreen Leedy, Pat Street ISBN: 0823417743 Publisher: Holiday House Pub. Date: January, 2003 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin, Harry Bliss ISBN: 006000150X Publisher: Joanna Cotler Pub. Date: 14 August, 2003 List Price(USD): $15.99 |
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Title: Otto: The Story of a Mirror by Ali Bahrampour ISBN: 0374270783 Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux Pub. Date: 14 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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