Alan’s Big, Scary Teeth
Written and illustrated by Jarvis
Be who you are and trust your friends. Those are the main lessons from this entertaining book about an alligator with false teeth.
Alan tries to be scary – just like everyone else in his family. He gnashes his razor sharp teeth at all the animals and has the frogs leaping. And the monkeys tumbling. And the parrots screeching. After a long day of scaring, he relaxes by removing his teeth, storing them in a super-secret hiding place, and going to bed. An early-rising beaver stumbles on the teeth and experiments with them. Alan’s embarrassed by not being so scary any more. He’s so embarrassed, he can’t stop crying. The other animals find his teeth for him but need assurances to give them back. So Alan has to move beyond scaring.
The amusing and colorful mixed-media illustrations make this new parable enjoyable and engaging. Great for independent reading or as a read aloud.
Maybe all these animals can’t live so closely in the real world, but first graders can still learn about cooperation and better uses for their resources.
Title: Alan’s Big, Scary Teeth- Author/ Illustrator: Jarvis
- Published: Candlewick Press, 2016
- Reviewer: Sue Poduska
- Format: Hardcover, 32 pages
- Grade Level: PreK to 1
- Genre: Animals, Interpersonal relationships
- ISBN: 978-0-7636-8120-3
