“Crunch crunch crunch. Teeth are strong and sharp. Crunch crunch crunch. Teeth can help you chew. But teeth are not for biting. Ouch! Biting hurts.” Sooner or later, almost all young children will bite someone—a friend, a parent, a sibling. This upbeat, colorful, virtually indestructible book helps prevent biting and teaches positive alternatives. The companion to our best-selling Hands Are Not for Hitting Board Book, Teeth Are Not for Biting gives reasons why children might want to bite. Little mouths feel sore when new teeth come in; sometimes kids bite when they’re hungry, tired, cranky, frustrated, angry, bored, distressed, or seeking attention. Author Elizabeth Verdick suggests positive things children can do instead of biting: chew a chewy toy, drink a cold drink, get a hug, tell a grown-up. This book also includes helpful tips for parents and caregivers.
This book is slightly moralizing and direct in its instructions but the message "don't bite!" is definitely very clear and present throughout and it gives specific alternatives children can try based on the different triggers they may be experiencing for biting.
Elizabeth Verdick has written more than thirty books for toddlers to teens. She collaborated with Marc Rosenthal on Small Walt, which Kirkus Reviews called “reminiscent of Virginia Burton’s classics” in a starred review, and its sequel, Small Walt and Mo the Tow. She is a graduate of the Hamline University MFA and lives in Woodbury, Minnesota.
Marieka Heinlen received her BFA at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and also studied at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. She launched her career as an award-winning children’s book illustrator with the original edition of Hands Are Not for Hitting and has illustrated the Best Behavior and Toddler Tools series. She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with her husband, son, and daughter.
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