Smile: Big Scary Teeth
It is National Smile Month! Smile!
Looking after BookBairn's teeth has provided many many smiles, as she giggles her way through tooth-brushing songs, sooks the toothpaste off the brush and gives it a good wiggle around. I love that she is beginning to look after her teeth by herself, thanks to this magic little toothbrush with a special grippy handle.
BookBairn has generally been quite good when it comes to teething. Her first tooth was one awful night of no sleep for the whole household but after that she's handled each new tooth like a pro. She's not a dribbler, or a chewer of any actual teething product, but boy does her bedtime buddy suffer with being chewed and sooked whilst those little pearly whites push their way through. The only real interruption to her routine is that she majorly goes off tooth-brushing, and I can't blame her. If my teeth were sore and gums were inflamed I wouldn't want anyone poking a toothbrush. But now we finally have those first molars.
But, for me, it is the illustrations that really make this story. Jarvis is an accomplished cartoonist and it is no surprise given the visual storytelling in this book. Layering pencil, chalk, paint and digital colour, each page is layered in lush colours, textures making the jungle feel deep and dense. The characters are cute and expressive and filled with humour.
I love the message in this book is that appearances can be deceiving! Alan thinks that his teeth are what make him important but when the animals discover the truth behind the teeth, Alan finds a way to be accepted for who he truly is. Growing up in a world full of instagram filters, make-up contouring, hair extensions, tooth whitening, veneers, plastic surgery and all other manners of falsely improving our appearance, this book is a lovely message that people will love you no matter what your appearance so long as you are true to yourself.
If you're looking for a book to make you smile, 'Alan's Big Scary Teeth' will certainly do the trick!
Mummy and BookBairn xx
We won our copy of 'Alan's Big Scary Teeth' in a Toppsta Giveaway. If you are interested in free books for younger readers, I highly recommend signing up to Toppsta where you enter to win a book in exchange for a short review. Click here for more information.
...and what's wrong with false teeth????? :)
ReplyDeleteNothing! But It hardly makes for a very scary alligator smile. BookBairn says to stay away from the alligators on your holiday please.
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