Teeth: You Only Get Two Sets

Teeth: You Only Get Two Sets by Magda Gargulakova and Marie Urbankova (New South Books) HB RRP $26.99 ISBN: 9788000072470

Reviewed by Kellie Nissen

Teeth! Our teeth rank fairly high if any body part is taken for granted. But should they? After all, unlike crocodiles and sharks – we only get two sets.

Written as a ‘family friendly’ book aimed at young readers of the ‘wobbly tooth’ age (around 5 to 9 years), Teeth: You Only Get Two Sets is full of toothy facts and tips to help us understand why teeth are so important and how to take care of them.

With large, bold illustrations, clear headings and pockets of information in child-friendly text, readers can whet their appetites selectively with information that intrigues them, or munch away at the text from start to finish. Whatever way you choose to engage, you’ll be able to digest information about the structure of a tooth, how teeth develop and grow, and the things we need for tooth care.

Everything within the pages is information our dentists, teachers and parents tell us – but presented in a much more palatable form that really helps the message take root and sink in.

Plus, there’s a fun page at the end where you can imagine what it would be like to have hippopotamus teeth, the teeth of a shark, or even the teeth (tooth?) of a narwhal.

Approved by the dental profession, Teeth: You Only Get Two Sets is a must-read for parents and their young children who are coming up to the wobbly tooth stage. (There’s even a section on how to get rid of those wobbly teeth!)

Teeth: You Only Get Two Sets

Teeth: You Only Get Two Sets by Magda Gargulakova, illustrated by Marie Urbankova (Albatross Media) HB $26.99 ISBN 9788000072470

This picture-sized board book takes young readers through the world of dental health, from the origins of teeth to their internal structure. Children will discover the reasons behind toothaches, and the uniqueness of growing only two sets of teeth, and the importance of early dental care. It is written by a Czech, which might account for the section on a visit to the dentist where it says that if a tooth needs drilling, ‘the dentist will protect it with a special spray so that you will hardly feel anything.’ Of course, in Australia, the dentist gives an injection. 

Four pages are devoted to going to the dentist’s, including a labelled picture of the dentist’s chair in the consulting room. The last page shows ten faces with the teeth of different animals, such as a bat, beaver, elephant, and shark. There is really nothing more to be said of teeth than what is said in his book.

The illustrations are brightly coloured and presented with break-outs and labelled pictures.