Dr. DeSoto by William Steig, published by Scholastic, Inc in 1982 is one of Kenz's favorites. I like it, too. Dr. DeSoto is a mouse dentist, who according to the story, "did very good work." He had lots of patients close to his own size. The larger ones that could not fit in the dentist chair sat on the floor. In the illustration above , the page reads, "For extra-large animals, he had a special room. There Doctor DeSoto was hoisted up to the patent's mouth by his assistant, who also happened to be his wife." In this picture you can't see wife, but isn't this so sweet of her? This is a Ma and Pa operation.
One day a well-dressed fox comes in with a toothache and his rotten bicuspid has to be removed. In the process Dr. DeSoto and his wife realize that the fox wants to eat them. The fox comes back the next day to get his new tooth made from pure gold. He also plans on eating the Doc and his wife, but he is outsmarted. The couple had devised a plan to interfere with their demise.
This is a good story that teaches us to--- trust our intuition. The Dentist and his wife usually didn't treat 'dangerous animals." It even said this on their sign. They trick the fox and glue his mouth shut.(I've wanted to blog about this book for some time. William Steig uses humor in a wonderful way.) "The fox was stunned. He stared at Doctor De Soto, then at his wife. They smiled and waited. All he could say was, "Frank oo berry mush through his clenched teeth, and get up and leave. He tried to do so with dignity." This part makes Kenz laugh out loud.
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From the website http://www.williamsteig.com
From the website http://www.williamsteig.com
This November, William Steig would have turned 100. Celebrate all month: host readings of your favorite Steig books, develop a Steig vocabulary, and try your hand at illustrating one of his stories.
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5 comments:
intuition eh? girls have lots of it *wink*, with this book, its probably going to bring out that 'skill' even more! good book!
Sounds like a fun book. I like your suggestions of illustrating a story and developing a "Steig" vocabulary. I'm going to have to read his books!
Nina, that's not my idea, wish it was, it came from the website. There's pages of inspiration at his site.
This book looks like fun -- and a great introduction to the dentist! Kenz looks like fun too -- and what big teeth she has! Happy Post-Halloween! Sally
When I taught Kindergarten, I used to read Dr. DeSoto to the children every year and they loved it. It's tough to get real suspense in a picture book, but Steig manages it with this story. Thanks for reminding me of this award winning book. Hannah and I will definitely be taking it out, next trip to the library.
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