Brush, brush, brush! Brush, brush, brush! Shake your toothbrush with Flossopher!

My two-year-old son Nathan absolutely loves to brush his teeth.  I know!  It’s that awesome!  He will say “toothbrush” or “brush teeth” and then patiently wait while my wife or I get him started brushing.  He takes over for several minutes and absolutely loves every moment.  Granted, he mostly chews on the brush but he still enjoys the idea of what’s going on.  Sometimes we have to stop him from brushing the furniture or other items nearby.  You know, for the sake of being sanitary.  It’s wonderful to know that Nate’s already taken to brushing.  There are so many things to worry about as a parent, here’s hoping trips to the dentist because of cavities won’t be an added trouble.

On to the main event, FLOSSOPHER AND THE BRUSHING TREES, which is a silly little tale that should help Nate and other kids remember the importance of keeping a clean mouth!  As a teacher and a parent, I can tell you, nothing beats a cute story to bring a sense of fun to an otherwise routine task.  So let's go deeper into the book by “Dr. Mike” King and Rick Ellis who have transformed the mundane into a magical adventure.

This simple story centers on Flossopher, a giant talking tooth, who lives in the Brite Forest and teams up with the Brushers to make sure everyone has healthy teeth.  This wouldn’t be much fun without the evil Cavidorg for Flossopher to battle.  The baddie owns a denture factory so he hopes to drive sales by tricking the citizens of the Brite Forest into getting cavities.  There’s also the twist that when people forget to brush their teeth, a dark cloud forms.  If too many dark clouds come, the Brushing Trees will die and, well, everyone’s in deep trouble.  I don’t think a spoiler warning is necessary when I tell you that Flossopher is successful in defeating Cavidorg’s evil plan.  This is a kids book, so the good guy wins!  Seriously, who would write a book where the cavities win?  

Thanks to the witty words of real life dentist “Dr. Mike” the book is a lot of fun.  It tells a neat little story with lots of tips built right into the narrative.  The book never seems preachy but should help kids build a love of brushing through fun.  The fact that Mike King is a dentist makes him an expert on the toothy aspects, but can he entertain children?  Well, apparently he’s a comedian that’s traveled all over the country, he does magic tricks in his office, and uses humor whenever possible to entertain patients.  Fuse this together, and it’s obvious why the book is so much fun!

I’m a writer, so words are my life, but drawings are very important for children’s literature.  Rick Ellis does a wonderful job bringing the Brite Forest and all of the colorful beings to life.  Ellis’s style brings to mind some of my favorite childhood cartoons, especially the program SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK.  The songs from that program were a huge part of my youth, and I still can be found humming them sometimes.  Ellis’s drawings should stick with today’s kids for many years to come just like those programs of my youth.

If you still can’t decide, a portion of the proceeds from the book will benefit the charity Smile Train, which aids people afflicted with cleft palate or lip.  Beyond benefiting your own children, think of the other kids you can also help.  In the end, this is a great little book that parents should think about adding to their child’s library.

You can read more about the book at http://flossopher.com

Or if you want to order, take a look at the Amazon page: