Mouse Dentist - Dextromethorphan

Author: William Steig
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-12-01
Features: The kind-hearted mouse couple, Doctor DeSoto, treat the fox's teeth, but the fox gradually reveals its greedy nature. Despite facing life-threatening danger, the mouse couple completes their work with determination and uses their wit to resolve the crisis. Their love, responsibility, calm intelligence, and cleverness leave a deep impression on children! The illustrations feature animals with vastly different body proportions, which are highly engaging for children. How can the tiny mouse, Doctor DeSoto, treat the tall and cunning fox? The book is filled with fun and ingenuity, with excellent text and illustrations, making it a masterpiece that has won numerous awards.
Content Description: The kind-hearted mouse couple, Doctor DeSoto, treat the fox's teeth, but the fox gradually reveals its greedy nature. Despite facing life-threatening danger, the mouse couple completes their work with determination and uses their wit to resolve the crisis. Their love, responsibility, calm intelligence, and cleverness leave a deep impression on children! The illustrations feature animals with vastly different body proportions, which are highly engaging for children. How can the tiny mouse, Doctor DeSoto, treat the tall and cunning fox? The book is filled with fun and ingenuity, with excellent text and illustrations, making it a masterpiece that has won numerous awards.
Artist Introduction: Writer/Illustrator: William Steig was born in New York City in 1907. He received his higher education at the City College of New York and the National Academy of Design. At the age of 23, he began his career as a professional cartoonist, designing covers and illustrations for magazines such as The New Yorker. In 1968, he published his first children's picture book, which surprised many at the time, as he was 61 years old and had "re-entered another industry." The following year, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble was named to the Horn Book Best Books list. The following year, it also won the Caldecott Medal. After that, his works continued to pour out, and they won numerous awards. In 1983, he won the Newbery Honor for Doctor DeSoto. He himself was nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1988. This "grandfather" author passed away in 2003 at the age of 95, leaving behind more than 30 works, including Doctor DeSoto, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, and The Amazing Bone.
Review: The Golden Wisdom of Doctor DeSoto
Author: Red Shell
This is another storybook featuring a mouse as the main character. The tiny mouse dentist has excellent dental skills, and along with his wife, they work together to diagnose and treat various patients, even those much larger than them, such as elephants or hippos. "Doctor DeSoto's wife helps by hanging him in the air to treat animals." This is truly an interesting method. In the illustrations, the artist depicts the suspended scenes with a casual and unique style, making the mouse dentist's office look wonderfully bizarre. Children can definitely find elements that resonate with their own imagination and unleash their creativity. In a rich and fun children's book, there is always a feature: the illustrations are full of details for children to discover one by one. In the mouse dentist's office, there are medical devices similar to those in our daily lives, but more importantly, there are tools used for special treatments, such as ladders and rings used to lift patients into the air. The story has just begun, and children have already experienced visual and mental enjoyment.
Since the doctor is a mouse, he must be quite afraid of being harmed. Therefore, a humorous and eye-catching sign appears: "No Treatment for Cats or Any Dangerous Animals." This mouse couple is undoubtedly clever and kind. While serving other animals, they also remember to protect themselves well. This is one of the themes of the story, and the plot that follows will revolve around this idea.
One day, a fox appeared downstairs at their clinic. The kind-hearted mouse dentist couple, though worried about their safety, decided to treat the fox. After being cured, the fox grew mischievous and thought of eating the mouse couple. Danger finally arrived, but the mouse dentist, with his clever mind and bravery, skillfully resolved the crisis—they used a magical "medicine" to glue the fox's teeth together. The fox could only helplessly say, "Fichixixili."
This is a story of the weak outsmarting the strong, but there is not a trace of fear in it. The author tells the story of the mouse dentist treating the greedy fox with a gentle tone. Each dangerous moment is described as, "Although his teeth hurt, the fox still felt something delicious moving in his mouth," or "As soon as Doctor DeSoto climbed into the fox's mouth, the fox closed his mouth with a '' sound." Yet, in the light-hearted twists, children do not feel any fear. In the story, they gradually appreciate the mouse dentist's meticulous care for his patients, such as, "This cavity needs to be pulled out," Doctor DeSoto declared, "But we can help you make a new tooth," and his cleverness in dealing with the fox, such as, "They could guess what the fox was dreaming about. Doctor DeSoto's wife handed a stick to her husband and pried the fox's mouth open."
In the author's portrayal, even the fierce fox hesitates, thinking, "If tomorrow Doctor DeSoto finishes the false tooth, will it be too mean to eat him?" Meanwhile, Doctor DeSoto's wife is grinding a pure gold false tooth for the fox. Doctor DeSoto, undoubtedly, begins to worry, as the fox's ferocity has unintentionally been revealed.
This series of psychological descriptions breaks the simple and subjective battle of good versus evil in children's books, allowing children to imagine and guess what the mouse dentist will do next. Will the fox really eat them? Through thinking, they become even more immersed in the story.
Returning to the theme mentioned earlier—"while serving other animals, they also remember to protect themselves"—you can ask your child, "Actually, the mouse doctor could have stopped treating the fox, but why did they still insist?" Doctor DeSoto says, "Once I start a job, I must see it through, just like my father." At the same time, while doing good deeds, they must also protect themselves. So, they came up with a perfect solution: while applying the medicine that would never cause toothache to the fox, they also glued his teeth.
This is a perfect ending. The tiny mouse doctor couple did not achieve victory in the traditional sense—they did not "defeat" the fox but cured its illness while protecting themselves. The remaining lessons or fun are left for you to share and savor with your child.