Let’s Meet a Dentist
Written by Bridget Heos
Illustrated by Kyle Poling
A trip to the dentist is something every child has to endure, and it can often be a frightening experience. What are those shiny tools the dentist pokes in your mouth? Why does he count your teeth? What is an x-ray? Does it hurt to get a filling? Children have all these questions and more. Many children are frightened of the dentist, but dental hygiene is an important part of keeping your body healthy. That’s why books that explain and reassure children about dental visits are an vital and valuable resource. Let’s Meet a Dentist is an engaging and informative look at this important topic.
Let’s Meet a Dentist follows a class on a field trip to the dentist. The book starts with the narrator stating, “Our class is on a mission! We want to find out what a dentist does.” From this attention-grabbing introduction, we go along with the class as they meet Dr. Florez, find out what equipment she uses and why, and get information on how to keep teeth clean and healthy, what it’s really like to fill a cavity, and what braces and retainers do. The information is presented in two ways on each colorfully illustrated page. The child narrator tells most of the story in a lively, kid-friendly tone. Meanwhile, boxed text on each page provides facts about topics mentioned in the main text.
Let’s Meet a Dentist is a lively and fun choice for a second-grade library. The tone of the book is very appealing, and both the narration and the chapter titles grab young readers’ attention and make the book fun to explore. The bright art is also eye-catching and appealing. The reading level is simple enough for second graders to read the book independently, while the book could also appeal to younger students or reluctant readers as a classroom read-aloud. A glossary in the back of the book provides vocabulary words that could easily be incorporated into a reading worksheet. Additional back matter includes a healthy snack recipe, a list of related books and Websites, an index, and a link to additional online educational resources. We give Let’s Go to the Dentist a perfect checkup!
Title: Let’s Meet a Dentist- Author: Bridget Heos
- Illustrator: Kyle Poling
- Publisher: Millbrook Press, 2013
- Hard Back: 24 pages
- ISBN: 978-0-7613-9029-9
- Genre: Science/Health