A few weeks ago, NHL went to the pediatric dentist for his six month visit. While the boys were busy playing with the video games and other items, something else caught my eye. There was a shelf filled with books. The books were not on just any subject. No, these were all about teeth and going to the dentist.

As a parent and teacher, I understand the importance of specialty books for children. Reading to kids about topics that are unknown and potentially stressful may help to ease anxiety. This is especially true when you talk about doctors/dentists, new siblings, potty training, losing teeth, surgery and especially death.

Not long after our appointment, I read about an opportunity from TwitterMoms to review a new book called Melvin the Magnificient Molar! by Julia Cook and Laura Jana, MD. I immediately asked to be a part of the group. Dr. Laura wrote me back and asked for our information and what we wanted inside the book since it was going to be signed by both of the authors.

About Melvin the Magnificient Molar!

Written by Julia Cook & Laura Jana, M.D.
Illustrated by Allison Valentine
All ages (2 and up), 32 Pages

Meet Melvin, the lovable tooth. Through Melvin’s view of the world, this book encourages children in a fun-loving, unique way to actually want to brush their teeth. By promoting brushing, flossing, and regular visits to the dentist, Melvin shows readers young and old how to make sure they will have happy teeth and healthy smiles that will last them a lifetime!

Melvin the Magnificent Molar! can be purchased directly from Julia Cook’s website for $9.95. When ordering from there you can also have the books autographed and personalized at no extra charge.

Dr. Laura recently did an interview about the new book on ABC News that can be viewed here. She talks about Childrens’ oral health and how to form good habits early.

What we thought:

When you open up Melvin the Magnificent Molar, the About This Book page really caught my eye. Julia Cook and Dr. Laura Jana write about the importance of taking good care of your teeth. They explain that teaching this lesson to children is often difficult to do. What they decided to do was have Melvin speak to children from a tooth’s perspective. The main character takes you on a journey as he explains all things that are involved with keeping a healthy smile. Melvin tells children to visit their dentist every six months from one years old on, caring for their baby teeth, using fluoride toothpaste, flossing and what to expect when you visit your dentist.

My boys loved listening to the story of Melvin and his friends. At six, NHL knows how we stress taking good care of his teeth. Still, being reminded by a friendly character is always helpful when we inevitably have an argument about brushing teeth, or having x-rays at the dentist. NHL enjoyed the cheerful, fun groupings of the words on the pages. He especially liked the different sized and color fonts that help to tell the story about the sleeping scummies that turn teeth green.

As a parent and teacher, I love the details that go into Melvin the Magnificent Molar. Cook and Jana really cover all of the bases for kids learning about oral health. Thank to Allison Valentine’s wonderful illustrations, we are all able to enter Melvin’s world from his point of view. Kids learn more about Mister Thirsty (my boys love him), Scaler, Miss Tickles, Magic String and getting a Coat of Fluoride. I also think that Melvin helped my son to be less anxious about losing his teeth. While at the dentist, he found out that two more teeth are starting to wiggle and is pretty anxious about this. I think that Melvin reminded him that it is part of his teeth’s journey to be like this story telling molar.

Thank you to Julia Cook and Laura Jana, MD for putting this book together for kids of all ages. I know that I am a fan and am looking forward to reading their next collaborative book entitled It’s You and Me Against the Pee. My boys also loved the sweet message inscription to them on the inside of their book. A very nice touch indeed!

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a Twitter Moms RAMBO alert campaign. I received a copy of the book from the authors to facilitate my candid review and no other compensation was given.