Ada, Look at My Teeth! (Ada's World of Fun)

3.8

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Author(s)

Daishu Ma

Publisher

Candlewick Press

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

January 07, 2025

ISBN

978-1536235470

Buy This Book

Check out all those teeth! Whether for tooth-brushing routines or dentist visits or any time of the day, this colorful ode to pearly whites will have kids grinning.

When Ada asks each of her animal friends to open their mouth and say “ahhh,” she’s in for a sight! Lion has pointy teeth, Hippo has flat ones, and Mouse has teeth that are teeny-tiny. Elephant’s teeth are huge! Some teeth are crooked like Monkey’s or sharp like upside-down Bat’s, and some are numerous like Crocodile’s or, well, beaky like Duck’s, but everyone’s teeth are just right for them. With bold colors and memorable characters, Daishu Ma gives a toddler-size salute to the power of difference—and the pleasure of a smile.

Editor review

1 review

How much toothpaste would a crocodile use?

May 11, 2025 (Updated: July 01, 2026)

Overall rating

3.8

Plot

3.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

Ada has a variety of animal friends, and she takes a look at all of their teeth. We find out what kind of teeth the lion, hippo, elephant, bat, donkey, hog, and monkey has, and even meet a duck, who has no teeth! Ada assures them all that everyone is different. After viewing the crocodile's many, many teeth, Ada's friends ask to see her teeth. Once that is done, Ada suggests that it is time to brush teeth, so all of the animals and Ada put toothpaste on their brushes and get their teeth nice and clean. After that, of course, it's the perfect time to look at everyone's smiles!

Good Points

This brightly colored board book has rather goofy animals, with big, round eyes and exaggerated teeth. Of course, even the lion is friendly and not intent on eating Ada, and all of the animals seem very adept with toothbrushes! This could be a silly way to encourage a reluctant child to keep up with good dental hygiene; I can just see a frazzled parent saying "How does the elephant brush her teeth? Can you brush your teeth like the elephant does?", thereby inveigling the child to get the job done.

Ada is an appealing character, clad in a pajama like onesie, with a smile and friendly manner. She has several other board book adventures such as Ada, Are You Ready, Ada's Rainy Day, and Ada, Go, Go, Go!

I've seen books about visiting the dentist for the first time, like We’re Going to the Dentist: Going for a Check-Up by Marion Cocklico and The Berenstain Bears Visit the Dentist by Stan and Jan Berenstain, but haven't seen any books about children brushing their teeth. I never had a problem with my children wanting to do this (other than the fact that my oldest ate toothpaste she wasn't supposed to), but I can see the value of having a book like this, or Padrón's Brush, Brush, Brush! or Daynes and Miguéns' Very First Questions and Answers: Why should I brush my teeth?, when introducing this new procedure to small children.