Dr. De Soto, a mouse dentist, copes with the toothaches of various animals except those with a taste for mice, until the day a fox comes to him in great pain.
Jw30
Posted November 1, 2011
My 5 year old daughter loved this book. She picked it as one of her bedtime stories for a week after she first got it. Then she took it to bed with her everynight and fell asleep reading it. Very clever story, my husband and I both enjoy reading this to her.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Every children's dental office should have a copy of this ultra delightful story of a mouse named Dr. DeSoto sitting in their waiting rooms. The illustrations, alone, are so cleverly drawn and colorful that children not yet old enough to read would be able to understand what the story is all about just by turning the pages and would, therefore, be less inclined to focus on the REAL reason why they are there in a dentist's office!
Basically, this award winning author's tale is about a dentist mouse and his ass't mouse wife, who, against their better judgment, agree to accept as a patient, a well-dressed, prosperous looking fox, even tho the sign on the outside of Dr. DeSoto's office clearly says: "Cats and other dangerous animals not accepted for treatment".
Dr. DeSoto and his wife feel pity for the obviously truly suffering fox and they allow him to enter their office and begin treatment for his terrible pain, which Dr. DeSoto quickly discovers is caused by a horribly rotten tooth. However, in the process of giving Mr. Fox some gas thru a small nose mask so that he will be asleep when Dr. DeSoto extracts the very rotten tooth from the fox's very wide open mouth, they hear him mumbling in a sleepy, dreamy way about how he "loves them raw-- with a dash of salt"...and they quickly realize that it is Mr. Fox's intention to eat them after they have completed the extraction of his rotten tooth and replaced it with a finely polished solid gold tooth that Mrs. DeSoto fashions for him that evening and which Dr. DeSoto plans to insert in the fox's mouth the morning of the next day.
It is during the nite that Dr. DeSoto and his ass't wife come up with a plan to foil Mr. Fox's wicked plan and the story ends in a surprising and satisfying way for all except Mr. Fox.
I 'told' this story to five classes of 7 and 8 year olds at a Denver Public Elementary School and it was a HUGE hit! Plus the bonus for me was that I had so much fun 'telling' it. I find all of of William Steig's children's books to be adaptable to telling as well as reading. I wish there were more of them.
DK_Fours
Posted April 13, 2009
Another great book for dental health month. This has a powerful message that even someone who is small can help out someone big. It's also an excellent story about trust and listening to yourself, if something does not feel quite right.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 23, 2007
This book was a Newberry Honor Book. It would be classified as a fantasy book and it¿s appropriate for children ages 4-8. I really enjoyed reading this book. I loved the detail and color in the illustrations. In this story a mouse named Dr. De Soto is a dentist. He states, ¿Being a mouse, he refused to treat animals dangerous to mice, and it said so on his sign¿. But would there come a day when Dr. De Soto would have to bend the rules? William Steig is the author and illustrator of this book. He has been the United States nominee for the 1982 Hans Christian Anderson Illustrator¿s medal. Mr. Steig has written several other books, such as Abel¿s Island and The Amazing Bone. These books were Newbery and Caldecott Honor books. Steig, William. Doctor De Soto. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1982.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 22, 2007
Doctor De Soto is a mouse who just happens to be a dentist. Animals from all around come to see him for all of thier teeth problems. Being so small he can just get right in there 'wearing his rubbers, to keep his feet dry' to help the big animals so they would hardly feel any pain. After all Doctor De Soto was a mouse so he refused 'Cats and other Dangerous Animals Not ACcepted for Treatment.' And who could blame him. But one day there was a sly old fox who complained of a tooth ache. Will Doctor De Soto let him in to help him or will he leave the poor fox outside in pain? Read and you will find out. Doctor De Soto is a wonderful Newberry honor book that goes into the genre of Fantasy, because of the talking mice that work on teeth. I would recomend anyone this book because i think that it has the same vaule as Asops tales, with the sly fox. Steig, William. DOCTOR DE SOTO. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1982
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 28, 2006
Dr. DeSoto is a Newberry Honor book. I loved this book. It was very colorful and the pictures were very detailed. Dr. DeSoto was a mouse and also a dentist. ¿Being a mouse, he refused to treat animals dangerous to mice, and it said so on his sign.¿ Would Dr. DeSoto go against his own rules for a fox that was in terrible pain? Dr. DeSoto is a Fantasy book. It¿s not everyday that you will see a mouse dentist being lifted by a rope into someone¿s mouth. The book Dr. DeSoto is a great book that teaches trust. This book would be a great book for grade levels 3rd through 6th grade. William Steig, the United States nominee for the 1982 Hans Christian Anderson Illustrator¿s medal, received the 1981 Irma Simonton Black Award for his book Gorky Rises. Steig has also written several other books. He has written Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, Abel¿s Island, and The Amazing Bone. The books Abels¿s Island and The Amazing Bone were 1977 Newberry and Caldecott Honor Books.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted February 23, 2006
Dr. DeSoto is a great children's book. It supports doing what is just, and 'good' triumphs over 'evil'. The book is also well illustrated and easy to follow. This book might help children who are scared of the dentist because it mentions the care he takes and how they feel little pain which lets kids know that the dentist is there to help.
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Posted January 5, 2000
This book is great. Your children will love reading Doctor De Soto. It is very funny and will add new words to your childs vocabulary for example permate and much more. I rate Doctor De Soto as a great childrens book.
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Overview
Dr. De Soto, a mouse dentist, copes with the toothaches of various animals except those with a taste for mice, until the day a fox comes to him in great pain.