Christine Ricci

a visit to the dentist

Show me your smile!

Sarah Sammis

Another of Harriet's Dora books is Show Me Your Smile! A Visit to the Dentist. It breaks with the usual Dora format but Harriet and Sean both seem to like it but I find it a bit of a chore to read. How many times in a row can one read with enthusiasm about Dora's trip to the dentist where she has a cavity filled?

The early episodes and books of Dora were very formulaic. Dora and Boots had to go from point A to point B an had to follow the route plotted for them by the Map. Along the way they'd pass two or three check points and have a couple of obstacles to navigate through. Near the end of the series run, Dora became such a superstar that her stories started to focus more on her and less on her exploring. Show Me Your Smile! falls into this latter category.

Ignoring the fact that a trip to the dentist has nothing to do with exploring, especially when Dora's parents obviously brought her there, the book does teach young children what their first trip to the dentist might be like. I just don't think that Dora is the character to do this. But don't tell my kids, because they still like the book and I'll probably be reading it to them for months to come.

Show me your smile! a visit to the dentist

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