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George Washington's Teeth
In this reverentially funny tale from Deborah Chandra written in verse and based on Washington's letters, diaries, and other historical records, readers will find out what really happened as they follow the trail of lost teeth to complete tooflessness .
From battling toothaches while fighting the British, to having rotten teeth removed by his dentists, the Father of His Country suffered all his life with tooth problems. Yet, contrary to popular belief, he never had a set of wooden teeth. Starting at the age of twenty-four, George Washington lost on average a tooth a year, and by the time he was elected president, he had only two left!
Illustrated in watercolors with subtle humor by Brock Cole, George Washington's Teeth is followed by a four-page time line featuring reproduced period portraits of Washington.
From battling toothaches while fighting the British, to having rotten teeth removed by his dentists, the Father of His Country suffered all his life with tooth problems. Yet, contrary to popular belief, he never had a set of wooden teeth. Starting at the age of twenty-four, George Washington lost on average a tooth a year, and by the time he was elected president, he had only two left!
Illustrated in watercolors with subtle humor by Brock Cole, George Washington's Teeth is followed by a four-page time line featuring reproduced period portraits of Washington.
40 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
March 5, 2013
This book was very amussing to read. I think it would be a great choice to use during a President's day theme for younger kids. Students will enjoy reading this humerous book, with many colorful illustrations. The illustrations do a great job showing what is happening and sequencing the events. In addition, the book does rhyme; therefore students will enjoy putting the story together.
I would not read this book for too many facts. It is a light-hearted book that could be used during a presidents theme. Most students do know about George Washington's teeth, this gives a funny twist. In addition, in the back of the book there is a timeline of George Washington which is based on true events. If the students are looking for facts about George Washington, there is an extensive timeline in the back of the book.
I would not read this book for too many facts. It is a light-hearted book that could be used during a presidents theme. Most students do know about George Washington's teeth, this gives a funny twist. In addition, in the back of the book there is a timeline of George Washington which is based on true events. If the students are looking for facts about George Washington, there is an extensive timeline in the back of the book.
February 4, 2013
I had no idea that George Washington really had so many issues with his teeth! I originally picked this up for one of my read's for my kids in honor of President's Day. It looked cute and thought it might peek the curiosity of my 5 yr old. He asked if it was true when we were finished, and it was then that I found the actual documented GW teeth history in the back of the book! Not only did I know nothing about this, it was fascinating! To me and my son! And the book chronicles the issues of losing his teeth and such along with his actual life history! We learn about his abscessed tooth as he was crossing the Delaware! And many other true historical facts. What a great way to make history interesting for a kid. Great book!
September 3, 2013
This book was very informational, and even has a timeline in the back! While this book wasn’t terribly exciting and fun, it was definitely easier to read than any textbook I’ve ever seen. I think it would make a great supplemental book for a history class, or for a child that’s mildly interested in the past. Overall, a good book.
April 15, 2008
This book is based on Washington's diaries and letters, which chronicled his tooth probleams. My daughter, 8, thought this rhyming book was hilarious and she's right. Funny with history thrown in is perfect for kids. There is a time-line in the back that gives even more information.
February 10, 2009
I know it's a kids book, but the end of the book had a serious time line of President Washington's dental problems. Poor man! Most people can't function with 1 sore tooth & he won a war, started a new nation & served as president with a mouthful of rot.
August 1, 2007
Fun book to read for Presidents Day or any day! Washington actually recorded the loss of his teeth in his journal! Funny stuff.
January 19, 2019
A good primer for Washington's teeth struggles, although I wonder if it were published more recently, it would elaborate more on the human teeth used for his dentures (aka, from slaves.)
February 10, 2019
I checked this out when my Grandson had to read a non-fiction history based book for third grade. He wanted "something short" lol, and this fit the bill. It was also quite entertaining and covered a fair amount of history while dealing with Washington's teeth problems. There's a timeline at the back that fleshes out his life even more. This book might make a good introduction to a primary level study of Washington or the Revolution. (The reading level is about 3rd grade.)
June 9, 2019
George Washington's teeth is based on letters, diaries, and other historical documents to recall George Washington's struggle with dental hygiene. This book shows Washington's battle with keeping his teeth in a hilarious way that gets students laughing while learning about key characteristics of Washington such as loyalty, bravery, and a strong work ethic. In the end, the book debunks the myth that Washington had wooden teeth.
March 1, 2012
George Washington's dental dillemas are presented in rhyming verse in this picture book by Deborah Chandra and Madeline Comora. Though the general thrust of the book follows documented history--the authors provide a detailed chronology of Washington's teeth troubles in the back of the book--there is a degree of play and looseness with character and situation.
If you want a fun, fast-paced picture book about George Washington, this book might be a winner. If you want a history lesson in picture-book form, there are probably other titles more suited to that objective.
If you want a fun, fast-paced picture book about George Washington, this book might be a winner. If you want a history lesson in picture-book form, there are probably other titles more suited to that objective.
April 20, 2009
What a cute book, but poor George Washington. Andrew and I just finished a Magic Tree House book about the Revolutionary War so I thought this would be a good to build off of. Really, the poor Father of Our Country had major problems with his teeth and was in pain a lot. This book is written in rhyme which made a boring topic (to a 7 year old) interesting.
December 13, 2017
I cannot tell a lie. But this book can.
This book is very strange. It's published as a fiction book, which makes sense as it doesn't follow the timeline at the end. In rhyme, George Washington loses his teeth over time, incorporating real events but rather out of order. And the ending of the book just isn't realistic. When he gets his first full set of dentures, it immediately pulls out his last tooth. And when he gets his second, custom, pair of false teeth after losing all of his original teeth, carved entirely from hippopotamus ivory, and they fit perfectly and he dances around happily.
In the timeline at the back of this same book, it clearly takes at least six years for the last tooth to come out, and it is extracted by a dentist, and he gets several sets of dentures in the meantime. It's not until a year before his death that he gets a final set made entirely from hippopotamus ivory. Every set of dentures, including the last one, required significant facial strength to keep his mouth from popping open. And the rhyme, of course, completely glosses over the fact that many of the dentures Washington wore were made, at least partially, from "human teeth," as the timeline puts it. Not even the timeline mentions that many of these teeth were taken from slaves.
The book almost seems like it's trying to set the record straight about Washington never actually having wooden teeth, but it fails at this because it's not accurate about what actually did happen, even according to its own timeline! At least it's not marketed as a non-fiction book, but kids aren't going to know that, and most parents probably won't even notice. But I guess ultimately the book isn't really about what the teeth are made out of, it's about dealing with problems.
Message: Washington had problems with his teeth that were completely fixed by hippopotamus ivory dentures.
For more children's book reviews, see my website at http://www.drttmk.com.
This book is very strange. It's published as a fiction book, which makes sense as it doesn't follow the timeline at the end. In rhyme, George Washington loses his teeth over time, incorporating real events but rather out of order. And the ending of the book just isn't realistic. When he gets his first full set of dentures, it immediately pulls out his last tooth. And when he gets his second, custom, pair of false teeth after losing all of his original teeth, carved entirely from hippopotamus ivory, and they fit perfectly and he dances around happily.
In the timeline at the back of this same book, it clearly takes at least six years for the last tooth to come out, and it is extracted by a dentist, and he gets several sets of dentures in the meantime. It's not until a year before his death that he gets a final set made entirely from hippopotamus ivory. Every set of dentures, including the last one, required significant facial strength to keep his mouth from popping open. And the rhyme, of course, completely glosses over the fact that many of the dentures Washington wore were made, at least partially, from "human teeth," as the timeline puts it. Not even the timeline mentions that many of these teeth were taken from slaves.
The book almost seems like it's trying to set the record straight about Washington never actually having wooden teeth, but it fails at this because it's not accurate about what actually did happen, even according to its own timeline! At least it's not marketed as a non-fiction book, but kids aren't going to know that, and most parents probably won't even notice. But I guess ultimately the book isn't really about what the teeth are made out of, it's about dealing with problems.
Message: Washington had problems with his teeth that were completely fixed by hippopotamus ivory dentures.
For more children's book reviews, see my website at http://www.drttmk.com.
November 6, 2017
One of my favorite read-alouds of all-time, George Washington's Teeth stashes an incredible number of historically accurate facts and events into a rollicking tale of dental woe, all while rhyming. From cover and title page to back cover, the book employs a wry, whimsical sense of humor that shines forth on nearly every page. The first few pages toss readers headlong into events (I never quite understand why writers do this- inadequate space to introduce their characters?) but readers catch up quickly as George's dental difficulties grow, and the number of teeth in his mouth shrinks. Kids will love counting down the teeth and regard George's troubles with sympathetic yet gleeful schadenfroide. Skeptics can find primary source quotes and pictures in the back of the book to substantiate many of the events in the book, even down to details such as George's false teeth made of hippopotamus tusks, his diet of pickled tripe, and the oil of myrrh he rubbed on his gums. Here's a great example of why we can't discount a book's material just because it's written by a master storyteller who chooses to save her source notes for the author's note. Chandra does say at the start that she's based the book on George Washington's struggle with his teeth, instead of describing them word for world, but really, I have seen far dryer texts adhere to the facts far less faithfully. An excellent choice for presidential history for kids, or for units on fictionalized nonfiction. A photograph in the notes of a set of George's false teeth, complete with springs, will elicit squeals of horror in students. Because... owwwwwww.
October 12, 2019
- Every Tooth In A Man's Head Is More Valuable Than A Diamond.
- Floss Like A Boss.
- Life Is Short. Smile While You Still Have Teeth.
- Be True To Your Teeth, Or They Will Be False To You.
TRAVELED TO // Virginia, New York & American Battlefields
MET ALONG THE WAY // George & Martha Washington
January 17, 2022
George Washington’s Teeth by Deborah Chandra is a rather humorous story about George Washington’s journey with bad teeth. It begins by describing some historical background on Washington and then continues to get into how he loses each of his teeth. As the countdown of teeth remaining dwindles we gain insight into important historical events of the revolutionary war ending in Washington’s election as the first President of the United States. It also includes historically accurate references to Martha Washington, George’s wife, and George Washington’s dentist. In the end, Washington loses all of his teeth and new dentures are crafted; carved from hippopotamus teeth with gold wire springs as well as a gold upper palate. The end of the book also contains a more formal timeline of Washington’s life and includes pictures of relics from various museums (a picture of George Washington’s real dentures is also included.) My reaction to the book is that it’s overall well-rounded and well written. It is a good balance of a cute fun children’s story while maintaining some historical accuracy and interesting insight. The illustrations give a good picture of the story while maintaining a light-hearted tone. This book could be used in my classroom to talk about a multitude of things; remembering to brush your teeth, talking about our first President and the revolutionary war, or a discussion about how history, in general, can be fun and interesting to learn about.
November 10, 2017
Awards the book has received (if any); Best Children's Book of the Year
Appropriate grade level(s); second- third
Original 3-line summary; This book is a funny story about our very first President George Washington. It talks about not his Presidency, but his teeth and the history behind them. By using letters, and responses from George Washington he tells a whole other story about his early stages of losing his teeth.
Original 3-line review: This book is really cute, and an interesting way to get children interested in our first President. It takes a different perspective on our first president by using letters he wrote specifically about his tooth loose.
2-3 possible in-class uses: A funny way to learn about George Washington
- cute for first graders losing their teeth.
Appropriate grade level(s); second- third
Original 3-line summary; This book is a funny story about our very first President George Washington. It talks about not his Presidency, but his teeth and the history behind them. By using letters, and responses from George Washington he tells a whole other story about his early stages of losing his teeth.
Original 3-line review: This book is really cute, and an interesting way to get children interested in our first President. It takes a different perspective on our first president by using letters he wrote specifically about his tooth loose.
2-3 possible in-class uses: A funny way to learn about George Washington
- cute for first graders losing their teeth.
April 29, 2020
George Washington's Teeth is a poem based, loosely, on a period in American History nobody has interest in except as possibilities for humor we make up about American politics getting, um, long in the tooth, etc. The poem, really, is as wooden as it's subject, namely the teeth Georgie had to wear since the Revolutionary War made him nervous enough to lose every one of his pretty whites. It's comparable to the classic rhyme about Paul Revere: it's that dreary and rhetorical. I mean, why do a poem about Georgie's wooden chompers other than to parody the whole thing as a way of a future president named George W to "read my lips". Okay, bad analogy, but....you do see my point?
Two stars
Four out of five dentists recommend this book....not so much reviewers like me.
Two stars
Four out of five dentists recommend this book....not so much reviewers like me.
July 21, 2022
Based on true historical facts, this is a funny story! Normally when reading about George Washington, one expects to read about battle, bravery, faith, loyalty, etc... but this time it was about losing teeth! And George's embarassment in attempting to take care of the ones he had left. As well as trying to get new ones! My son and I really enjoyed this book! It has a rhyming format and has short texts on each page, so it's keeps him engaged and is perfect for his reading level/attention span. There's even a chart at the end quoting journal dates and original documents that gave all the information about this aspect of our first American President and the teeth he lost/had/gained! A bonus is a picture of the teeth carved from hippopotomus ivory that Washington wore.
December 10, 2017
Book Level: 3.6
Summary: Through humorous poetry, this book tells the story of George Washington and his rotten teeth. At the end of the book, the author provides a detailed timeline of actual events leading up to George Washington’s toothless smile.
Writing Trait: Organization – During the revision stage of the writing process, this mentor text can be utilized to give students ideas for how they may strengthen the framework of their writing. The events in this story are chronological in order which demonstrates a successful way to organize writing. After reading this story, students could critique each other’s writing in terms of the chronological order of events.
Summary: Through humorous poetry, this book tells the story of George Washington and his rotten teeth. At the end of the book, the author provides a detailed timeline of actual events leading up to George Washington’s toothless smile.
Writing Trait: Organization – During the revision stage of the writing process, this mentor text can be utilized to give students ideas for how they may strengthen the framework of their writing. The events in this story are chronological in order which demonstrates a successful way to organize writing. After reading this story, students could critique each other’s writing in terms of the chronological order of events.
May 20, 2022
Slightly mind boggling how this very detailed book focused on debunking the myth of G.W. wearing wooden dentures doesnt clarify that his dentures were actually made with teeth ripped from the jaws of enslaved peoples. The tiny mention of "human teeth" in the middle of a list in 10pt. font at the very back of the book is not sufficient. If this aspect of the story is deemed inappropriate for a children's book, maybe don't make an entire silly haha children's book based on this slave owner's dental history. But to be honest a patriotic historical fiction body horror book for kids is kind of a weird one for me from the jump.
February 13, 2020
This was one of the 6 books on our "President's Day" reading table. The kiddos rolled a foam die to decide which book was read; we went back and forth between reading the books and watching the PBS "60-second presidents" videos.
This book was super engaging for the kids that heard it, and included details that I knew little about. The rhyming is fun and helps lighten the gory/yucky reality of Washington losing his teeth one or two at a time. Blech! I plan to bring this one home for my own younger kiddos to read.
This book was super engaging for the kids that heard it, and included details that I knew little about. The rhyming is fun and helps lighten the gory/yucky reality of Washington losing his teeth one or two at a time. Blech! I plan to bring this one home for my own younger kiddos to read.
May 8, 2020
This is one of my all time favorite children's informational books that I have taught in classes before. It goes through the life of George Washington and tells all about his struggles with his health and his teeth, because he had many issues with infections, fake teeth, and not smiling so people wouldn't thin k he was weak. This book is so informative and has great illustrations in it to make it interesting to read, and also includes a full and detailed timeline of his life with the important details.
April 24, 2021
George Washington's Teeth is a book that tells about the life of George Washington through his teeth troubles. The book shows when George Washington loses his first tooth in the Revolutionary war to when Washington loses his final tooth due to a set of dentures.
This book is very easy to read and is very fun to read due to the rhyme scheme of the book. I believe that this book would be fun to read to a class when discussing Presidents and the different things that they had to endure.
This book is very easy to read and is very fun to read due to the rhyme scheme of the book. I believe that this book would be fun to read to a class when discussing Presidents and the different things that they had to endure.
October 21, 2022
I think is one of my favorite history books I have ever read. It makes history silly, it talks about historical events but throws in extra stories about Georges teeth during it. He is running into battle but on no a tooth came out. It makes history so light hearted. I will defiantly read this book in my classroom as an introduction to history. It will also sit in my library and I will encourage students to read it. Love, love, love it!
February 28, 2017
I had no idea that it was this rough for the Father of our Country--no wonder he looks so very grumpy in his portraits! I would look grumpy too if I was eating tripe and losing my teeth left and right and worried that the enemy would discover this little fact and mock me for it! Poor George. Tough George to go through all this and still kick British bum.
June 1, 2017
We are headed to Washington DC and I wanted to read a few historical picture books with my kids, 4 and 7. This is the perfect book. Amusing and relatable story about how Washington lost all his teeth during key periods of our nation's history. And it's all sourced in historical documents, with a big timeline at the back!
July 27, 2019
I thought this account was fictionalized, but the detailed dental history in the back shows that it's all true. It sounds absolutely miserable. From the history in the back: "George's account books show that between the years 1772 and 1792 the [household bills] amounted to $100 per year. By comparison, George's dental bills were $1,000 per year."
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March 26, 2021This book would be a very good biography for students to read. It has humor in it even though it is about a serious important historical figure. It discusses all George Washington's dental issues. It discusses how he loses his teeth and became toothless in a humorous way.
Age level: 4-8
Lexile level: 190L-420L
Age level: 4-8
Lexile level: 190L-420L
May 12, 2021
I LOVED THIS! The book rhymes, which is really so fun for kids because it gives it a kind of tune or melody. I loved that the book counted down as he lost teeth, kind of dramatizing the situation even more. It was organized so well and even included a timeline at the back of the book for more information.
October 5, 2021
Kids will love this hilarious book as it rhymes a story about George Washington dental health. "The Redcoats fled--George won the war! / When he returned alive, / Martha checked for seven teeth / But counted only five." Everything that happens to cause another tooth to fall out is funny. After reading this book we enjoyed watching a YouTube video showing how his dentures were made.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews