About the Author

Paul Showers wrote twenty books for the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series, including favorites such as What Happens to a Hamburger? and Where Does the Garbage Go? Mr. Showers worked on the Detroit Free Press, the New York Herald Tribune, and for thirty years, the Sunday New York Times. True Kelley has illustrated many favorite books for children in her fun-filled watercolor style, including several in the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series. She and the author previously collaborated on What Makes a Magnet? and What the Moon is Like?

True Kelley lives in Warner, New Hampshire.

Reviews

K-Gr 2-- How many teeth does one have during the various stages of life? That is the premise in this introduction that has been a mainstay in libraries serving children for nearly 30 years (HarperCollins, 1962). The update is long overdue. Changes in text are slight; the big transformation is in the book's overall appearance. The characters have been given an updated, more cartoonlike look, with new hairstyles and casual clothing. Gender and ethnic representation is more balanced, and the figures are more active. A baby formerly being held and fed is now feeding himself a bottle, Elizabeth has escaped her confining highchair, and readers see Sam brushing his teeth morning and night, rather than just a sketch of the sun and moon. But the biggest change is in the parents. Yesterday's stay-at-home Mom, in bathrobe, rollers, and lipstick, and Dad, in his business suit, have been replaced by a couple enjoying themselves at a picnic. Full-color watercolors replace Galdone's two-color drawings. All contribute to a striking uplift for an old standby, worth serious consideration. --Denise L. Moll, Lone Pine Elementary School, West Bloomfield, MI