Module 11: George washington's Teeth by Deborah Chandra & Madeleine

Citation: Chandra,D. & Comora, M. (2003). George Washington’s teeth. New York, N.Y.: Farrar Stratus Giroux. Summary: This is the story of George Washington’s teeth. The rhyming story tells about how George Washington lost his teeth sometimes one at a time and also tells about his journeys and his role in war. There is some discussion about what his teeth were made out of and how painful this whole life was due to teeth problems. At the very back of the book it give a detailed timeline of George Washington’s life and teeth history. My Opinion: I found this book to be very interesting and surprisingly based on many facts. I thought the rhyming text a great surprise to this story. I do feel that there is some difficult text and there would need to be some discussion about the text before reading. If the students had background about George Washington’s life, it would be more comprehendible to students. I enjoyed the book and I thought the timeline in the back was done very thoroughly. Reviews: Stephens, B. (2003, October). [Review of the book George Washington’s Teeth]. Library Media Connection via Titlewave. Retrieved by http://titlewave.com/search?SID=bd9e02a2cf2f5309507cc0739a450cc6 Library Media Connection (October 2003) Written in rhyme, this picture book for intermediate students offers a unique view of America's first president. Highlights of George Washington's life from his leadership in the Revolutionary War to his presidency are intertwined with his constant struggle with dental agonies. Based on primary and secondary sources, the reader gains interesting tidbits, e.g. Washington had only two teeth when elected president, and his mouth was stuffed with cotton balls to puff up his sunken lips for formal portraits. False teeth finally came to his rescue, but whether made from hippopotamus, walrus, or elephant ivory, or from his own pulled teeth (but never from wood as legend has it), each set offered challenges. Cole's accompanying pen and ink watercolors extend the historical significance and the humor of the text. A valuable addendum is a timeline of the important events in Washington's life from birth to death, simply and attractively created on four pages. Portraits of the first president and photographs of his last set of dentures illustrate the timeline. Teeth truly were influential in Washington's life, as his death is believed to be from a chronic, untreated infection from the old root fragments in his gums. This unique title will intrigue students and be a useful addition to a study of the Revolutionary War or U.S. presidents. Highly Recommended. Becky B. Stephens, Library Media Specialist, Hearn Elementary, Frankfort, Kentucky Uses for the library: I would use this story in the library to introduce how to read timelines. I would put the timeline on the ELMO and discuss the events in the time line. Then I would read the story and have the student write their own biography timelines.