Granny's Teeth
A Collection of Quirky Rhyming Tales
This wonderfully entertaining collection will prompt lifelong, enriching interaction with books.
Retired school system reading supervisor Liz Cooper’s short and amusing collection Granny’s Teeth gathers silly stories that are told in rhymes and helps parents and caregivers turn them into wonderful learning opportunities.
The collection’s stories vary greatly. “Granny’s Teeth” is about a little girl who is spending the night at her grandparents’ house. She finds that she cannot sleep after her grandmother puts her false teeth in her room to keep her company; the teeth talk all night.
Some stories, like one about a boy cleaning all the windows in the house to keep his mother from noticing that he broke one, are based on the real-life experiences of Cooper and her acquaintances. Others, such as a story about a girl spilling detergent in the rain and causing a blizzard of soap suds, are clearly works of fantasy.
The stories do not relate to one another, and there is no overarching lesson. Each story is whimsical and enjoyable, and each stands on its own. Entertainingly written, they stand to appeal to children of all interests in their variety.
Black-and-white photographs are scattered throughout the stories and mark the beginning and end of each one. They are intended to illuminate the text, and do provide some visual interest, but they are often generic and do not add significantly to the collection.
Stories themselves constitute a bit more than half of the book. Its second half is aimed at parents, educators, and caregivers, and outshines the stories themselves.
This thoughtful second section suggests a variety of ways to interact with the stories. It is filled with questions and activities that make the early content useful for developing reading comprehension and critical thinking skills. Anyone who has ever struggled to help a young child find meaning in the words they read will find the information presented here to be of great value.
Questions about identifying parts of language, spelling, and grammar are included, as well as questions about how characters interact, their emotional responses, and the moral lessons that the stories may be trying to teach. This encouraged, wide reflection will nurture reading skills that will last a lifetime.
Granny’s Teeth is a wonderfully entertaining collection that children and adults can laugh through and enjoy together, with questions and activities that will help develop the minds of young children.
Reviewed by
Catherine Thureson
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
