Granny's Teeth - A Collection of Quirky Rhyming Tales

Excerpt - Please note that this is a partial sample.

Granny's teeth sleep in a jar.
It's right there by her bed.
She takes them out when it gets dark.
At least that's what she said.

I slept at Granny's house last night,
excited but homesick too.
When Granny saw I felt that way,
she knew just what to do.

"Who's that?" I yelled with a muffled scream.
It is I, Granny's teeth, and it's not a dream.
Settle back and listen for there's nothing to fear.
I've got enough stories to last for a year.

Blibity blabity
clickity clack,
I talked to the teeth,
and the teeth talked back.

I'll lend you my false choppers
so you'll have a little piece of me
surrounding you with lots of love,
to keep you company.

It seemed a bit unusual.
I would've preferred a nice stuffed bear.
But I didn't hurt her feelings.
It was nice of her to share.

"Good night," said Grandpa.
"Ga nifem" gummed Granny.
"Hello, said the teeth.

Clickity click, clackity clatter
They talked to me all night long
If it wasn't tales about the good old days,
they were signing some wacky old song.

Or listing all of my relatives
born after nineteen sixty-four,
(I hate to have to say it,
but the teeth were quite a bore)

World WarI, then World War II.
Best recipe for lentil stew.
Milking cows when Gran was ten.
How food was so much fresher then.

KIRKUS REVIEW A debut collection of rhyming stories centers on the lives of children in an effort to both entertain and educate. Cooper’s series of “quirky tales” relayed in this work range from dentures that talk by themselves to soap suds that cause a school’s cancellation and a list of overly strict recess rules. The protagonists are generally children or their parents, grandparents, or teachers, and the stories frequently resolve in a whimsical fashion. At the end of each poem there is a question for young readers and adults to reflect on and consider. There is a list of general questions at the end about the book as a whole as well as more in-depth questions for each story. The text is punctuated by black-and-white stock photographs, mostly of diverse children enacting the various events of each tale. There are intentional incidents of a poem’s rhyme scheme or meter changing in an effort to allow readers to identify switches in style. But this occasionally makes the work feel uneven. But the author, who is a retired school system reading supervisor, provides lively subject matter that should appeal to early readers, allowing for an enjoyable learning activity to be undertaken with adult supervision. The questions at the end of each poem and at the book’s conclusion are insightful, and they encourage youngsters to read deeper than they might have without guidance. This volume is equally valuable as a tool for teachers in presenting their lessons or for parents in helping to boost their children’s reading comprehension. A fine work that should keep young readers engaged with fun and amusing subjects while providing a foundation for thoughtful reading practices.

Children’s Bookwatch

April 2018
Whether looking for a lost shoe, staying awake all night listening to a chatty set of dentures, or watching Grandpas hair fly away, the young characters in the fifteen quirky tales comprising "Granny's Teeth" by Liz Cooper find surprising solutions to life's unexpected events. The storylines are simple and funny, yet the themes are surprisingly complex, providing lots of opportunities for the sharing of ideas. Its fun to talk about a story, but often, its hard to know what to talk about beyond the basic plot and details. In order to encourage critical thinking, there are intriguing kid-friendly questions placed strategically at the end of each tale. This gives readers an immediate opportunity to respond to the story, whether they read it independently or with an adult. Additional questions, discussion starters, and research ideas in the 'Lets Talk About It' section of "Granny's Teeth" provide opportunities for digging deeper. Entertaining, funny, engaging, deftly crafted, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Granny's Teeth" is a unique and unreservedly recommended addition to school and community library collections.