Doctor De Soto

At some point way in the future I am going to sit down and attempt to write a children's book.  Most likely, this will come after I have one of those "Eureka!" moments where something magical inspires me.  You know, like a trip to the dentist...wait, what?!

THREE PROS
*There is an interesting lesson here about stereotyping and behavior: if a group of beings are known to be a certain way, you should still give them the benefit of the doubt while vigilantly keeping your guard up
*Another mini-lesson involves finishing what you started
*Probably helps your little one's next trip to the dentist become less threatening

THREE CONS 
*One image of a tooth being extracted is pretty hardcore, maybe nullifying what I said earlier about bringing your child to the dentist
*I'm having trouble remembering what dentistry was like in the early '80s, but I don't think people had to wait a day after an extraction for a replacement tooth to be made (maybe animal-on-animal dental science was a step behind then)
*His wife has trouble lifting the tooth up the stairs, but doesn't seem to be fazed by holding her husband up in the air for long stretches of time using an elaborate pulley system

ONE DAD'S OPINION
William Steig really outdid himself with this work, giving us a story that entertains children of all ages.  And, even though it's a book for kids, I like how he didn't dumb it down.  He uses the word "bicuspid" in there for goodness sake!  It just goes to show that a gifted writer can produce a classic no matter what topic she or he chooses to tackle.     

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