February is a great time to discuss and explore dental health because it’s National Children’s Dental Health Month, but really you can do this any time of the year. This post shares dental health picture books that you can use for this purpose. All of the picture books on this list lend themselves to this topic really well. Take a peek below to learn more about these dental health picture books!
3 Dental Health Picture Books
Below is a list of some of our favorite dental health picture books to share with elementary students. Check them out!
1. Doctor De Soto by William Steig
In the beginning of the story, we meet Doctor De Soto, a very good dentist who is also a mouse. His wife, Mrs. De Soto, is his trusted assistant. Together, they make a great team! All animals come to get treated, big and small, that is- except for cats and other dangerous creatures.
One day, a fox in writhing pain comes, and the De Soto’s take pity on him. As they get ready to pull out his tooth, they hear him whisper that he plans to eat them. As he needs a new tooth to be put in the following day, Dr. and Mrs. De Soto quickly form a plan that night.
In the morning, the fox comes promptly to get his new tooth. Once it is put in, Dr. De Soto puts a glue gloss over it to keep his mouth shut. Stunned, the fox did not know what to do, as his plan to eat them was foiled. Dr. De Soto and his wife had outfoxed the fox!
Check out these Doctor De Soto teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
2. Bear’s Loose Tooth by Karma Wilson
Bear felt something wiggling in his mouth- it was a loose tooth! He had lots of worries about it. What if a new one didn’t grow in? How will he eat? With the help of his forest friends, his tooth falls out. He sleeps next to it, and to his surprise, a fairy comes and takes it away. The next morning, he awakens to a fresh, special treat and yet another loose tooth!
Check out these Bear’s Loose Tooth teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
3. How to Catch the Tooth Fairy by Adam Wallace
Every night at 3:09, the Tooth Fairy sets out to work. It is her job to fly around collecting teeth. In fact, she collects three hundred thousand teeth each night! However, the Tooth Fairy’s job can be dangerous because children set traps in their room hoping to catch her. Thankfully, she is too quick for most traps!
First, the Tooth Fairy visits Nancy, where she must avoid the drool. Next, she travels to Johnny’s house where she is able to avoid the trap and even hides his socks. At Julie’s house, the Tooth Fairy finds a trap made of floss but it is not enough to catch her. The Tooth Fairy leaves a coin for Julie and flies to Taylor’s house. Here, there is a very impressive trap but the Tooth Fairy is able to get away thanks to her fairy dust. However, a marshmallow catapult leaves the Tooth Fairy with some stuck to her bum! At Sarah’s house there are many traps but the Tooth Fairy is able to avoid them all and heads to her final stop. Sanjeev had a creative trap that almost worked, but the Tooth Fairy was able to get out safely.
Finally, the Tooth Fairy and all of the teeth she collected make it home safely! None of the children were able to trap her just yet; could you?
Check out these How to Catch the Tooth Fairy teaching resources and activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging read aloud lessons!
Grab the Free Reading Resources!
In closing, we hope you found this list of dental health picture books helpful! They are part of the Starts With a Story collection. If you want to get more book ideas to read aloud to your elementary students, then grab this reading freebie. It includes read aloud books lists, reading logs, and reading challenges for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classroom teachers. It will have you covered for the entire school year, as well as the summer months! Grab this free elementary reading packet now!
