Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth [Hardcover]

Alison McGhee (Author), Harry Bliss (Illustrator), Paul Colin (Contributor)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Sure, first-grade teacher Mrs. Watson may look human, but it is a known and proven fact that she is actually a three-hundred-year-old alien who steals baby teeth from her students.

Thank goodness for a second grader's warning, because this little first grader has a secret: She has a loose tooth! Her first! How will she make it through an entire year without opening her mouth?

Told with the same gentle wit as in their first irresistible collaboration, Countdown to Kindergarten, this lighthearted take on losing one's first tooth will have children and parents laughing aloud.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2–Stories from a "knowledgeable" second grader raise fears on the first day of school as the girl from Countdown to Kindergarten (Silver Whistle, 2002) again struggles to conquer the unknown. Does her first-grade teacher really have a purple tongue? Is she truly a 300-year-old alien? Does she crave earthling baby teeth? A natural first-person narrative, punctuated by speech-bubble thoughts and conversations, carries readers through a difficult experience. Tension mounts as the day wears on and the intrepid student keeps silent to conceal the wobbly evidence in her own mouth. McGhee has the pulse of this blue-ribbon worrier who is the prey of the school gossip and manipulator. Bliss's watercolor and black-ink illustrations feature distinctive, large-eyed classmates and a number of humorous toothy references on the walls in the hall and in the classroom.–Mary Elam, Forman Elementary School, Plano, TX
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Having tackled shoelace-tying and new-school jitters, the heroine from Countdown to Kindergarten (and Puddy, her cat) is back to start first grade-with a loose tooth. There's just one problem: a second-grader warns her that the first-grade teacher, Mrs. Watson, is a "three-hundred-year-old alien who steals baby teeth from her students." Once again making comical use of spot illustrations and thought balloons intermingled with the main narrative, Bliss conveys palpable fear on the heroine's face, as she looks for her teacher's telltale purple tongue, and shuns the treat box where the woman purportedly "keeps all those baby teeth." Fans will note McGhee's sly references to the first book ("Counting backwards from ten is my specialty! But wait. Keep... mouth... closed," reads the heroine's thought balloon when the teacher asks if anyone knows how), while Bliss fills the book with enough details for parents and kids to pore over (the Drama Club poster announces a production of Marathon Man, "a chilling tale of suspense and toothaches," a Book Fair poster advertises Harry Plotter and the Huge Cavity by J.K. Salinger"). A reassuring, humorous ending when the heroine's tooth finally does pop out in Mrs. Watson's classroom reminds readers that they must rely on their own experiences-not the say-so of others. Ages 4-7.  (Publishers Weekly )

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 36 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1st Edition" edition (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152049312
• ISBN-13: 978-0152049317
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,008,240 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Alison McGhee is the New York Times bestselling author of SOMEDAY, LITTLE BOY, BYE-BYE CRIB, ALWAYS and A VERY BRAVE WITCH. Her other children's books include ALL RIVERS FLOW TO THE SEA, COUNTDOWN TO KINDERGARTEN, SNAP, and the JULIA GILLIAN series, about the adventures of a girl who lives in Minneapolis.

Alison is also an award-winning novelist of the adult novels WAS IT BEAUTIFUL? A NOVEL; FALLING BOY; RAINLIGHT; and the Today Show book club selection, SHADOW BABY.She lives in Minneapolis, MN.

You can find her at her website and also on Facebook under Alison McGhee, Author.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As hip as you wanna be, April 20, 2005

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth (Hardcover)

There's an odd complaint that sometimes cycles through the parent circles of this great American country. If a children's picture book is filled with just too many injokes and gags for the parents to get (and not their kids) then that book is immediately given the back-handed compliment of "hip". The "Olivia" books by Ian Falconer are "hip". "Many Moons" by James Thurber is "hip". Do you see the trend? These books tend to be written or illustrated by New Yorker cartoonists/writers. So it only makes sense that such uncalled for disparaging remarks should be attached to my beloved Harry Bliss. In this delightful "Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth" (a delicious addition to his similar school-based story, "A Fine Fine School"), author Alison McGhee and illustrator Bliss tell a tale of realistic childhood fears and the surprising way that one little first grader overcomes them.

"I have a secret", a small girl confides in us, right from the start. "First grade begins today, and I'm in BIG trouble". The trouble comes in the form of "advice" given by a malicious second grader who immediately pounces on our helpless heroine on the bus. The second grader informs us that Mrs. Watson, the first grader's new teacher, is actually an alien from outer space. And this particular alien's preferred meals? Baby teeth. First grader baby teeth at that. According to the second grader, Mrs. Watson has a thick purple tongue and that we should look closely at her "pearl" necklace and earrings. By the time our protagonist reaches school she's in a mild state of panic. However, she's quite certain that if she just doesn't open her mouth, she'll be able to keep her tooth safe and sound from this alien scourge. Trouble is, Mrs. Watson seems really nice. And she keeps asking for kids to sing, or talk, or brag (things our first grader would LOVE to do). It's only towards the end of the day that a surprising occurrence proves both Mrs. Watson's earthly status and gives the second grader a bit of a comeuppance.

It's a cute little story wrapped up in a very fun package. Now I've kinda enjoyed the books Bliss has illustrated up until now. The aforementioned "Fine Fine School" was okay and "Don't Forget To Come Back", peaked the old imagination. But so far, this book is my favorite of the lot. And a lot of this is due to the fact that there ARE jokes that kids won't get in it. Kids will love the visual gags on each and every page (for example, a loud-mouthed boy on a trip suddenly ends up covered in duct tape when he won't calm down) but I love the crazy details. When the first grader timidly stares at the door of her new classroom, a poster with a picture of Shakespeare pointing at the viewer reads, "The Drama Club wants YOU for the Fall production of Marathon Man: A Chilling Tale of Suspense and Toothaches". Similarly, when Mrs. Watson asks the class, "Who's ready to learn a song?", she's holding (and I seriously kid you not here), "London Calling", by J. Strummer. Any picture book that makes a reference, however oblique, to The Clash has won my instantaneous and unwavering love for all time.

So that's that. Kids will love this book because of the words and storyline. Adults will love this book because of the in-jokes (some of which, even THEY won't get). And I love it because it's the perfect melding of two worlds. The childlike and the sophisticated. So pooh-pooh it for being "hip" all you want. It's one of the rare books that will have adults begging their children to read it, "just one more time".

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Terrifically Funny Book, August 18, 2004

By 

Carol Welznick "Carol" (VT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth (Hardcover)

I can't recall the last time I laughed so hard reading to my son. This is a rare gem with sight gags abound. Well done!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious!!!, November 26, 2005

By 

W. Choi "(Lisa)" (NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth (Hardcover)

Children will love the silly plot and the gags in every illustration! Most of the story is told in comic-book-like form, with speech bubbles and pictures.

The book is about a young girl who is starting first grade with Mrs. Watson as her teacher. A second grader informs her that Mrs. Watson is actually an alien, with a purple tongue, who needs a never-ending supply of earthling baby teeth to take back to her alien galaxy. Unfortunately for the first grader, she has a loose tooth! She decides to not talk in class in order to hide the fact that her tooth is loose. Can she survive first grade without ever opening her mouth? Read to find out what happens! You'll enjoy it, guaranteed! MAke sure to look at the colorful illustrations!!!!