Teeth Are Not for Biting (Board Book) (Best Behavior Series) [Board book]

Elizabeth Verdick (Author), Marieka Heinlen (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up | Series: Best Behavior Series

“Crunch crunch crunch. Teeth are strong and sharp. Crunch crunch crunch. Teeth can help you chew. But teeth are not for biting. Ouch! Biting hurts.” Sooner or later, almost all young children will bite someone—a friend, a parent, a sibling. This upbeat, colorful, virtually indestructible book helps prevent biting and teaches positive alternatives.

The companion to our best-selling Hands Are Not for Hitting Board Book, Teeth Are Not for Biting gives reasons why children might want to bite. Little mouths feel sore when new teeth come in; sometimes kids bite when they’re hungry, tired, cranky, frustrated, angry, bored, distressed, or seeking attention. Author Elizabeth Verdick suggests positive things children can do instead of biting: chew a chewy toy, drink a cold drink, get a hug, tell a grown-up. This book also includes helpful tips for parents and caregivers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It's not always an easy feat to teach little ones about morals and the difference between right and wrong. But great news for you author Elizabeth Verdick is her to help you...”—Baby Let's Shop blog

Creative Child Magazine Seal of Excellence Winner

Dr. Toy’s 10 Best Socially Responsible Products

Dr. Toy’s 100 Best Selection

Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Book Award

From the Publisher

Teeth Are Not for Biting is the winner of the 2004 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award, Dr. Toy's 100 Best Products for 2003 and one of Dr. Toy's 10 Best Socially Responsible Products for 2003.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Board book: 24 pages
• Publisher: Free Spirit Publishing (April 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575421283
• ISBN-13: 978-1575421285
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,684 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #12 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Social Situations > Manners
  • #13 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Baby-3 > Basic Concepts > Sense & Sensation
  • #23 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Manners

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical & Useful, May 15, 2003

By 

Jon Henshaw (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Teeth Are Not for Biting (Board Book) (Best Behavior Series) (Board book)

I found this book to be both educational and preventive. It offers young children concrete alternatives to their urges to bite others. It's designed to be read by a parent, guardian, or teacher, and it offers colorful illustrations by Marieka Heinlen.

Teeth Are Not for Biting approaches the issue of biting with great care and understanding. The book talks frankly about why children bite others, and also attempts to instill empathy into children who may be prone to biting. Probably the greatest strength of this book is its practical advice to children. Elizabeth Verdick presents alternatives to biting that are easy to understand, and more importantly, simple enough for most young children to do.

This book is a worthy new entry for preventing and teaching children about the harmful behavior of biting others.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for Teaching Kids Not to Bit, June 3, 2005

By 

Shawna Want (O.C., CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Teeth Are Not for Biting (Board Book) (Best Behavior Series) (Board book)

Life saving book!! My son has been biting other kids a school and I was told that he might not be able to come back if the biting didn't stop. I was at my ends with the biting and started to look around for books and other methods of teaching him to communicate. This book has been a life saver. My son (2 1/2) has memorized this book (even reading it to himself in bed) and is using examples (i.e. alternatives to biting) learned from this book at school. The director of the school and all the teachers are just in shock with the 180 my son has done.

I would recommend this book to any person who has a child who bits!

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even a 12-month old can understand "teeth are not for biting.", September 12, 2005

By 

Stacie Renae Von Holten "thisgirllovesgod, mo... (Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Teeth Are Not for Biting (Board Book) (Best Behavior Series) (Board book)

My baby daughter, at age 11 months, went through a few weeks of sporadic biting. She would unexpectedly bite the shoulder of her mommy, daddy, and big sister - hard enough to make little tooth-shaped bruises. I ordered this book, and the morning it arrived she had just bitten her sister's shoulder (again). I sat down in the rocking chair with her and read this book -- when I got to the page showing a girl crying with a big "boo-boo" on her arm (where someone had bitten her) and explained how that girl had been hurt by someone's teeth, my baby put her head on my shoulder and cried. The book makes it clear that "teeth are not for biting!"

We knew she had been teething, and I was so glad the book even talked about that -- the REASONS toddlers sometimes bite! Babies want to be understood! She seemed relieved when I got to the page about children biting when their teeth are hurting -- like, "Oh, somebody finally understands what I'm going through!" She seemed to grasp the concept of this book*, and she has not bitten any of us since the day we first read it!

(*We also became more pro-active about treating her for teething pain - with teething toys, teething medicines, etc. The book also points out other reasons children bite, like hunger or frustration.)