Doctor De Soto (Paperback)

Annotation:
As a dentist who also happens to be a mouse, Doctor De Soto was forced to find a unique way to care for his patients. Small animals sit in a regular dental chair and are treated in the traditional manner, while large animals are seated on the floor where, with the help of his wife/assistant, the good doctor climbs up a ladder and steps right into the patients' mouths to work on their teeth. Because of his small size, Doctor De Soto has one very strict office policy: he refuses to treat any type of dangerous animal. Still, when a fox with an infected bicuspid arrives in the office, the kindhearted doctor is unable to turn him away. How can Doctor De Soto fix the pained, but still hungry, fox's tooth without becoming his lunch? Watercolor illustrations accompany the text of this story that proves that an empty stomach is no match for a sharp mind. The adventures of Doctor De Soto continue in DOCTOR DE SOTO GOES TO AFRICA. A 1983 Newbery Honor Book.

William Steig had two distinct but related careers--the first as a cartoonist and the second as an author and illustrator of children's books. His career as a cartoonist began during the Great Depression when, at the age of 17, he began selling cartoons to "The New Yorker" as a means of supporting his family. His relationship with that magazine, during which they published 1,600 of his drawings and 117 of his cover illustrations, lasted over 70 years. His career in children's books began at age 60. His third offering, SYLVESTER AND THE MAGIC PEBBLE, won the Caldecott Medal while his 1977 book, THE AMAZING BONE, was named a Caldecott Honor Book. Two of his longer works, ABEL'S ISLAND and DOCTOR DE SOTO, were named Newbery Honor Books. In 2002 his picture book SHREK! was expanded and made into a full-length animated film which became the first to win the Academy Award in the category of Best Animated Feature. William Steig died of natural causes as the age of 95.