The Pain of Teeth and the Pain of Growing Up

Title: Smile
Author: Raina Telgermeier
ISBN:0545132061
Publisher: Scholastic

When I was young, I had the unfortunate experience of knocking out my front two teeth. I can look back now at the event before and after the incident with humor, but at the time it pretty much sucked. Two root-canals, the shaving down of what was left of my real teeth, temporary teeth that were so huge they made me look like a rabbit.

I also had the pleasure of having braces on my teeth for over two years. Mouth gear and all, the experience pretty much sucked as well. The tightening, the food getting stuck, the rubberbands that left marks on the insides of your mouth. Makes me cringe just thinking about it!

So, with that being said, the reasons I chose Smile by Raina Telgermeier will become very clear. You see, Raina is a young girl who was just coming to terms with the news that she would need braces when a trip and fall leaves her with even bigger problems. She knocks out her front two teeth!

Raina endures the craziness of procedure after procedure over the next four years in a quest to have a normal smile. All this, while she is also dealing with the normal-coming-of-age problems like boys, friends and family.

Telgemeier does a fabulous job with this memoir. She manages to present events in a beautiful balance of humor and heartbreak, inspiring readers even if they've never had braces. Very clever cartooning illustrates the storyline add to the appeal of readers, I would say, as early as the third or fourth grade, though, I really enjoyed the read myself!

The introduction to memoirs at the elementary level can give validation to students the worth of their thoughts and opinions. Asking students to share who they are and what makes them who they are opens the door for expression at the deepest level. The earliest grades can make life-sized cut outs, collaging with magazines and drawing answering the questions, “Who am I?” and “What makes me who I am?” This activity can grow with students by adding quotes and other writing to expand their thoughts on these very “big” questions.