Melvin the Magnificent Molar Book Review
Written By: Julia Cook & Laura Jana, MD.
Illustrated by: Allison Valentine

This story is about educating children on how to keep their teeth clean. The main character was Melvin the magnificent molar. The other characters in the story are all of his friends, the smiling teeth up in the front and all the other teeth surrounding him. Melvin shared how to keep your teeth clean so you wouldn’t need any extra visits to the dentist outside of your regular scheduled visits. We were fortunate to go to the dentist with Melvin and see what the dentist does in a routine cleaning as well as learn all the tools he uses to clean them. We were also taught to bite food not friends! Melvin is a molar all the way in the back of your mouth so he frequently runs into problems of being overlooked when brushing. Melvin also caused a little commotion to get noticed and then he’d be brushed, flossed, rinsed and taken care of. Melvin did have an adventure towards the end of the story when he got loose in his little person’s mouth and he fell out with no problems. Melvin was sent to the tooth fairy and made room for the permanent tooth to grow in. Melvin is definitely the highlight of the story and taught us how to care for our teeth properly.

I read this book to my two year old. He loves to brush his teeth. He loved the illustrated pictures and even tried to make up his own words to go along with them. My ten year old daughter read the book and loved it! She said that she learned a lot and liked that it explained what happens when she goes to the dentist. She actually could relate because not too long ago she had an abscess and one of her molars had to be extracted. We definitely try to take care of our teeth properly and it probably wouldn’t hurt us to  floss a bit more!

I really enjoyed the book as did my son and daughter. My favorite part of the book would be the trip to the dentist. I think there are many children who dread going to the dentist and Melvin showed us a pleasant experience. This book was written tastefully and I wouldn’t change anything about it. I would definitely recommend this book to all parents of toddlers on up to elementary school aged children. The earlier we start to teach our children take care of their teeth the better!

I did love the additional information at the end about America’s Tooth Fairy. You can make a contribution to help less fortunate children receive dental care. With a $10 tax-deductible donation, America’s Tooth Fairy will send your child a personalized letter. You will also be helping the Tooth Fairy by making it possible for children to receive dental care. There is a Tooth Fairy Mobile Bus that goes around to local public schools here in NC teaching children dental hygiene and cleaning their teeth during school hours. That’s dedication and I support this campaign 100%! For more information or to contribute please visit www.AmericasToothfairy.org For your copy or if you know of someone that would like one visit www.JuliaCookOnline.com for a personalized signed copy.