| Doctor De Soto, a
compassionate and clever mouse-dentist, outwits a fox with a
toothache and an appetite.
"I cannot imagine a
childhood without Steig: Sylvester, Pearl, Caleb, and now Doctor De
Soto." --The Dallas Morning News
"This is one of those
picture books that are so good I'd just like to quote the whole
thing." --Philadelphia Inquirer
"Simple but sly, a
mischievously imaginative rendition of the classic theme." --*Starred/Kirkus
Reviews
"Doctor De Soto is a
mouse dentist who . . . operates a clinic open to all except animals
threatening to mice. What to do then, when a weeping and
wailing fox shows up for treatment? . . . There is great wit and good
fun in the illustrations." --*Starred/Booklist
Awards
Newbery Honor Book
ALA Notable Book
American Book Award, Children's Picture Book, Co-winner
Booklist Editors' Choice
Booklist Best Book of the 80's
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Horn Book
Fanfare
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Honor Book for Illustration
New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the
Year
New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year
IRA-CBC Children's Choice
United States Honor Book, IBBY
Reviews
School Library Journal
-
*starred review
Dentist De Soto's sign reads "Cats & Other
Dangerous Animals Not Accepted For Treatment." Being a mouse,
it only makes sense, but when a well-dressed fox with a rotten
bicuspid begs for help, Dr. D. and his wife/assistant relent.
Relief, however, soon has the fox wondering "if it would be
shabby of him to eat the De Sotos when the job was done," and
the mice must quickly devise a plan to outwit his ulterior
intention. This fox fares no better than others in Steig's
cosmography; he exits, hanging on to his dignity, muttering
"Frank oo berry mush" through a set of teeth ingeniously
glued together. The story has altogether a sturdier, more everyday
reality than do Steig's earlier books: Here, quick-witted pluck, not
magic, saves the day. The language is less lyrical, reflecting the
more literal quality of the tale, and the illustrations are
carefully crafted street scenes and office interiors (detailed
even to the tiny set of half-size stairs that accommodate the
dentist's tinier patients) instead of the shimmering pastorals of
Sylvester, Pearl and Gorky. While it does not have the magic of some
of his previous books, it's nevertheless a good romp and very
satisfying.
Booklist
- *starred review
Doctor De Soto is a mouse dentist who, with his wife, operates a
clinic open to all except animals threatening to mice ("Cats
and Other Dangerous Animals Not Accepted for Treatment" says
his sign). What to do then, when a weeping and wailing fox shows up
for treatment? The pair decide to admit him and discover that he
does indeed have a rotten tooth (and unusually bad breath). De Soto
pulls it and promises a new one, which the pained fox is to call for
the next day. When the fox shows up feeling chipper, the De Sotos
correctly surmise that he'll probably eat them once the work is
done. They outwit him by duping him into accepting "a
remarkable preparation" guaranteed to rid his mouth of
toothaches forever -- a potion that effectively glues the fox's mouth
shut. "Frank oo berry mush," is all he can manage to say
as he leaves. As for the De Sotos, they give each other a kiss and
take the rest of the day off. Steig's tale is simple and straightforward, good virtues to have in a tale for the picture-book crowd.
In addition, there is great wit and good fun in the illustrations, which
make the most of the special circumstances in which a mouse dentist
might find himself. Enjoy, for example, Dr. De Soto atop a ladder
working on a plump pig's choppers or inserting a pole in the fox's
mouth to ensure that it stays open. True-to-form Steig. |
Doctor
De Soto