SuitabookNooo! Not the Dentist!
Stephanie Blake
- Reading
- Read it together before discussing the difference between imagined and actual events. Pause if the dentist scenes feel alarming, and invite your child to describe what would help them feel prepared.
- Themes
- Facing an unfamiliar appointment: Simon has a sore tooth and resists his first trip to the dentist after hearing Ferdinand’s frightening account. The story presents moving through the feared experience as manageable for Simon, while using humour and a patient dentist to soften the situation.
- Imagination versus reality: Ferdinand uses his imagination to describe dental horrors, shaping Simon’s expectations before Simon encounters the dentist himself. Imagination is shown as powerful and frightening, but the story contrasts it with Simon’s later account that the visit did not hurt.
- Worth knowing
- A child who is already worried may want reassurance before or during this section.