.If you have dental problems, Doctor DeSoto is your mouse!

“Doctor DeSoto” is a popular book written by the master children’s books, William Steig. This book is most notably known for winning the Newberry Honor Book award and has remained to be a favorite among the young readers for many generations.

SUMMARY

Doctor DeSoto is known to be the best dentist in the city since both small and large animals comes to him for their dental checkup. Of course, there are certain animals that Doctor DeSoto and his assistant, his wife, would not tolerate. Mostly, these consist of animals that are a threat to them and they would put up a sign that says:

“CATS AND OTHER DANGEROUS ANIMALS NOT ACCEPTED FOR TREATMENT.”

One day, however, a fox comes down the street with a bandage over his head. When Doctor DeSoto spots the fox, he tells the fox that he can not treat him because he is a dangerous animal. But, the fox starts crying so pitifully, that Doctor DeSoto take pity on him and lets him in the office. Doctor DeSoto then starts working on the fox’s tooth, which has a rotten bicuspid and when Doctor DeSoto comes into the fox’s mouth, the fox starts to notice how tasty Doctor DeSoto is and his jaws start to quiver. Then, Doctor DeSoto puts some gas on the fox’s nose to settle him down and the fox starts dreaming about having the DeSotos for dinner. Even though Doctor DeSoto and his wife heard the fox, they still worked on his tooth and ended up pulling out his rotten tooth. Doctor DeSoto then tells the fox to come back tomorrow for a new tooth and the fox leaves the office and begins contemplating on whether or not he should eat the DeSotos after he gets his new tooth.

Afterwards, Doctor DeSoto starts doubting himself about helping the fox with his toothache while his wife is polishing the new golden tooth for the fox. The wife tells Doctor DeSoto that he fox probably did not know what he was talking about and has no intention of eating them. Doctor DeSoto, on the other hand, is not quite sure that the fox wants to spare their lives after he finishes the job. Later on that night, the DeSotos have a conversation with each other about the fox and they decide to hatch up a plan to save themselves from being eaten by the fox.

The next morning, the fox comes to the office all cheerful and the DeSotos begin to work on the fox’s mouth. After Doctor DeSoto puts in the new tooth, he tells the fox that he has made a new remedy that will ensure him that he will never feel any pain again. The fox agrees to this and then decides to eat the DeSotos up after the treatment was done. Doctor DeSoto then puts the secret formula on the fox’s teeth and tells him to close his mouth for a few seconds. But when the fox tried to open his mouth, his teeth were glued shut and he could not open his mouth. The fox was stunned by this and Doctor DeSoto calmly explains to the fox that he can not open his mouth for a few days due to the secret formula. The fox then leaves the office in a daze and Doctor DeSoto and his wife decide to take the rest of the day off.

PROS

“Doctor DeSoto” has an extremely unique storyline about deception. The fox was trying to be friendly towards the DeSotos in the second half of the story, thinking that they would not suspect his malicious intentions. But, Doctor DeSoto comes up with a creative solution in outfoxing the fox and therefore, turns the tables on the fox. Doctor DeSoto’s trickery towards the fox is probably one of the greatest trickster moments in book history since in “Stephanie’s Ponytail” when Stephanie tricked her classmates into shaving their heads bald. William Steig’s illustrations are vividly detailed as he masterfully illustrates the expressions on the characters’ faces of pity and uncertainty from the fox as he is treated by Doctor DeSoto and how Steig illustrates the buildings in the cities by coloring the buildings mostly brown and red and having the interior of each building be filled with flowers, couches, and colorful wallpapers that create a homely atmosphere to the story.

CONS

Parents should know that there is a brief image of the fox’s tooth being pulled out by a lever machine and the tooth is somewhat bloody as drops of blood fall from the tooth. Young children who are frightened of the dentist may worry about this image so parents should try to either skip over this image or reassure their children that the fox is alright from this procedure, even though he states, “I’m bleeding!”

OVERALL

“Doctor DeSoto” is one of William Steig’s greatest classics since it contains a trickery scene by Doctor DeSoto that will remain a cult favorite for many years. Children about ages six or younger will simply adore this book for its cute characters and exciting storyline and the adults will love the fact that Doctor DeSoto has taken a great profession in dentistry and I am sure that this book will be a favorite for many years. Also, if you love “Doctor DeSoto,” check out the sequel “Doctor DeSoto Goes to Africa” that also features the wise doctor.