[ARC REVIEW] The Tooth That's on the Loose! by Chris Robertson (@XistPublishing, @booksbychrisr)

Title:  The Tooth That's on the Loose!

Author:  Chris Robertson

Genre:  Teeth / Humor / Western / Parody

Year Published: 2017

Year Read: 2017

Publisher:  Xist Publishing

Source:  eARC (NetGalley)

Content Rating:  Ages 4+  (Some Mischievous Behavior)

Buy or Add on:  Amazon  //  Goodreads

I would like to thank NetGalley and Xist Publishing for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I will admit that I had only read a few children’s books that dealt with the theme of children losing their baby teeth (mainly Marc Brown’s “Arthur’s Tooth”).  So, when NetGalley offered a children’s book called “The Tooth that’s on the Loose!” by Chris Robertson that has a creative take on children losing their baby teeth, I knew that I had to get this book as soon as possible!

Who is that toothy and wiggly varmint who is running around town, causing mayhem wherever he goes?  Tooth Be Wiggly (T.B. Wiggly, for short) that’s who!  This outlaw goes around leaving holes in people’s mouths (in other words, taking people’s teeth and causing a hole in their mouths where the teeth used to be) and Sheriff Tex is trying to recruit some kids to help him bring down this outlaw!

Can the kids bring down T.B. Wiggly?

Read this book to find out!

I must admit that I was quite impressed with this creative and odd little book!  Chris Robertson has done a great job at making a dilemma that kids would have, which is losing their baby teeth at a young age and turn that dilemma into an outlaw villain named T.B. Wiggly, which made this book truly creative and interesting to read!  I also liked the fact that Sheriff Tex was the one narrating the story and telling the audience who T.B. Wiggly is and why he has to be stopped as it allows us to explore the world through the characters’ point of view.  I really like the way that Chris Robertson is able to incorporate so much humor in this book as I cannot help but laugh at the idea about a living tooth going around causing mayhem wherever he goes!   Chris Robertson’s artwork is hilarious and exaggerated to look at, especially of the image of T.B. Wiggly himself as he is a tooth that has a large black mustache and tiny beady eyes that portrays his rugged personality.  I also loved the mischievous looks that T.B. Wiggly gives to the audience as it helps lets the audience know that T.B. Wiggly is up to no good!

The reason why I took off half a point from the rating was because I felt that more could have been done with T. B. Wiggly himself as he felt like a one-sided villain of the story whose only purpose of being in this story is to be the generic bad guy who steals people’s teeth.  While I understand that T.B. Wiggly is representing the dilemma that young children go through, which is losing their baby teeth, I sort of wished that there was more development to his character besides being the bad guy that would make him stand out more in the story.

Overall, “The Tooth that’s on the Loose!” is a truly creative story for children who are going through losing their baby teeth and want to read a story that tackles this issue in a humorous and creative way!  I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.

You might also like:

• Doctor DeSoto by William Steig

• Pecos Bill by Brian Gleeson

[BOOK REVIEW] Doctor DeSoto by William Steig

Title:  Doctor DeSoto

Author:  William Steig

Genre: Animal / Drama / Humor


Year Published: 1982


Year Read: 1993

Publisher:  Scholastic

Source:  Purchased

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (One Violent Image)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

“Doctor DeSoto” is a popular book written by the master children’s books, William Steig. This book is most notably known for winning the Newberry Honor Book award and has remained to be a favorite among the young readers for many generations.

Doctor DeSoto” has an extremely unique storyline about deception. The fox was trying to be friendly towards the DeSotos in the second half of the story, thinking that they would not suspect his malicious intentions. But, Doctor DeSoto comes up with a creative solution in outfoxing the fox and therefore, turns the tables on the fox. Doctor DeSoto’s trickery towards the fox is probably one of the greatest trickster moments in book history since in “Stephanie’s Ponytail” when Stephanie tricked her classmates into shaving their heads bald. William Steig’s illustrations are vividly detailed as he masterfully illustrates the expressions on the characters’ faces of pity and uncertainty from the fox as he is treated by Doctor DeSoto and how Steig illustrates the buildings in the cities by coloring the buildings mostly brown and red and having the interior of each building be filled with flowers, couches, and colorful wallpapers that create a homely atmosphere to the story.

Parents should know that there is a brief image of the fox’s tooth being pulled out by a lever machine and the tooth is somewhat bloody as drops of blood fall from the tooth. Young children who are frightened of the dentist may worry about this image so parents should try to either skip over this image or reassure their children that the fox is alright from this procedure, even though he states, “I’m bleeding!”

“Doctor DeSoto” is one of William Steig’s greatest classics since it contains a trickery scene by Doctor DeSoto that will remain a cult favorite for many years. Children about ages six or younger will simply adore this book for its cute characters and exciting storyline and the adults will love the fact that Doctor DeSoto has taken a great profession in dentistry and I am sure that this book will be a favorite for many years. Also, if you love “Doctor DeSoto,” check out the sequel “Doctor DeSoto Goes to Africa” that also features the wise doctor.

* 1983 National Book Award for Children's Books
* 1983 Newbery Honor