Author: William Steig
Title: Doctor De Soto
Illustrator: William Steig
Publisher: Harper & Collins
Year: 1982
Genre: Easy to read, Newberry
Format: Softcover
Reading Level: Assisted, Emergent
Interest level: Early elementary
Topics: animals, mice, dentist, fox, tricks, teeth
Summary: Doctor De Soto is a dentist and a very good one at that. He sees many different patients from animals his size to big ones like pigs and cows. One day a fox comes in with a very bad tooth ache. Doctor De Soto climbed into his mouth to look at his teeth. The fox's mouth began to quiver because he realized how tasty Doctor De Soto would be. Doctor De Soto gave him some gas so he could pull the bad tooth out. When it was over, the fox left to go home while thinking of a plan to eat his dentist after getting his new tooth the next day. That night. Doctor De Soto and his wife lay up thinking of a way to trick the fox. The morning came around and the fox showed up at the door. Doctor De Soto put the new tooth in and told the fox that they needed to put a medicine on all of his teeth that would prevent anymore tooth aches. When they were done, the fox got up and left only to find that his mouth was stuck shut. Doctor De Soto and his wife had outfoxed the fox.
Extension Activity: Talk about what different kinds of teeth animals have, whether they're flat or sharp, made to eat fish, grass, or meat. Talk about omnivores, carnivores, and herbivores, and what kinds of foods, we humans, like to eat. Talk about what a dentist does and how he takes care of our teeth.
