Connect the Book

George Washington's Teeth

by Carolyn S. Brodie

Carolyn S. Brodie, Ph.D., is a Professor at Kent State University, School of Library and Information Science, Kent, OH 44242-0001. Phone: 330-672-0012; Fax: 330-672-7965; E-mail: cbrodie@kent.edu

February celebrates both National Children's Dental Health Month and President's Day (February 21), so this month's Connect the Book column features a book with connections to both events.

George Washington's Teeth was written by Deborah Chandra and Madeleine Comora and illustrated by Brock Cole (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003). The book opens with "All of his life, George Washington had problems with his teeth and worked hard to save them. This story is based on what really happened to George and his teeth." And, so begins this saga told in verse which captures his first election as "Poor George had two teeth in his mouth/The day the votes came./The people had a President,/But one afraid to grin."

A four-page timeline that features portraits of Washington and a photograph of a pair of his dentures adds much detail to this story. A bibliography cites eleven sources of information for the timeline and text including documents that use Washington's own diary entries and letters.

After serving as the military leader during the American Revolution and the chairman of the Constitutional Convention, Washington shaped the role of the Presidency during his two pioneering terms in office. He also set the country on a course of unity and harmony all the while dealing with his own personal issues as recounted in this brief book— his nagging dental problems.

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OTHER BOOKS ABOUT GEORGE WASHINGTON

  • Adler, David A. George Washington, Father of Our Country: A First Biography. Illus. by Jacqueline Garrick. Holiday House, 1988. 48p. A biography of the Commander in Chief of the Conti-nental Army and first President of the United States.
  • Armentrout, David, and Patricia Armentrout. George Washington: Discover the Life of an American Legend. Rourke, 2004. 24p. An easy-to-read biography that follows the family life of George Washington and shares his many accomplishments.
  • D'Aulaire, Ingri, and Edgar D'Aulaire. George Washington. Doubleday, 1936. 60p. A classic picture book biography of the first American president.
  • Gaines, Ann. George Washington. Our Presidents series. Child's World, 2001. 48p. An illustrated biography of George Washington that follows his childhood, his career, his family, and his term as President of the United States. Includes a timeline and glossary.
  • Giblin, James C. George Washington: A Picture Book Biography. Illus. by Michael Dooling. Scholastic, 1992. 48p. Looks at the life and career of the first American president while discussing some of the myths and legends that surrounded his life.
  • Harness, Cheryl. George Washington. National Geographic, 2000. 48p. A longer picture book biography that is strong on illustrations. A section in the back of the book titled "More on George" provides even more information.

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OTHER BOOKS ABOUT TEETH

  • Asmiov, Issac. Why Do We Need to Brush Our Teeth? Garret Stevens, 1993. 24p. Describes the structure and function of our teeth and the importance of taking care of them.
  • Beeler, Selby B. Throw Your Tooth on the Roof: Tooth Traditions from Around the World. Houghton Mifflin, 1998. 30p. Interesting, brief statements share how children from around the world deal with a tooth that has fallen out. Also includes information and facts about teeth.
  • Ferguson, Beth. Teeth. Benchmark Books/ Marshall Cavendish, 2004. 47p. Describes the functions of teeth and how to keep them healthy.
  • Fowler, Allan. A Look at Teeth. Children's Press, 1999. 31p. Discusses baby teeth and permanent teeth, the importance and uses of teeth, and how they are used by different kinds of animals.
  • Katz, Bobbie. Make Way for Tooth Decay. Scholastic, 1999. 32p. In rhyming verse, bacteria describe how they live in the mouth and cause plaque, cavities, and other problems.
  • Keller, Laurie. Open Wide: Tooth School Inside. Henry Holt, 2000. Unp. Teeth are the students in a classroom setting that presents information about the structure and care of teeth and the services provided by dentists.
  • Silverstein, Alvin. Tooth Decay and Cavities. Franklin Watts, 1999. 48p. Describes the structure and function of teeth and discusses how cavities form and how to prevent them.

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WEBSITES RELATED TO GEORGE WASHINGTON

Connect to:
WEBSITES RELATED TO DENTAL HEALTH

Connect to:
CHILDREN'S MAGAZINE ARTICLES

  • Shore, Diane ZuHone. "Presidential Dentures." Highlights for Children (February 2002): 16-17. Traces the history of George Washington's dentures and mentions that during his presidency he had nine different dentists and six sets of false teeth.
  • Sutherland, Karen. "There Is a Story." Boy's Life (December/January 1999): 10-11. Shares brief information about myths and legends that surrounded George Washington's life including the famous story of cutting down the cherry tree, throwing a silver dollar across the Potomac River, and, of course, his wooden teeth.

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ACTIVITY IDEAS

  • Ask a dentist to visit a class or the library media center to share information about good dental hygiene and why it is important. Ask the dentist to bring dentures to show to the students and explain how they are used by people who need them.
  • An interesting timeline in the back of George Washington's Teeth combines historical events in George Washington's life along with some of his dental history. Students may chart this timeline on larger paper and follow the history closer.
  • Use some of the classroom resources and activity ideas from the American Dental Health Association's webpage featuring information on National Children's Dental Health Month.
  • Try an interesting twelve-question quiz about the life and times of George Washington from a website hosted by Old Sturbridge Village.
  • A fill-in-the-letters puzzle about George Washington can be found on page 26 in the January/February 1999 issue of Children's D-gest. Created by Jacqueline Schiff, this puzzle also can be found on SIRS Discoverer.