Teeth Are Not for Biting approaches the issue of biting with great care and understanding. The book talks frankly about why children bite others, and also attempts to instill empathy into children who may be prone to biting. Probably the greatest strength of this book is its practical advice to children. Elizabeth Verdick presents alternatives to biting that are easy to understand, and more importantly, simple enough for most young children to do.

This book is a worthy new entry for preventing and teaching children about the harmful behavior of biting others.


Even a 12-month old can understand "teeth are not for biting."   September 13, 2005
 11 out of 11 found this review helpful

My baby daughter, at age 11 months, went through a few weeks of sporadic biting. She would unexpectedly bite the shoulder of her mommy, daddy, and big sister - hard enough to make little tooth-shaped bruises. I ordered this book, and the morning it arrived she had just bitten her sister's shoulder (again). I sat down in the rocking chair with her and read this book -- when I got to the page showing a girl crying with a big "boo-boo" on her arm (where someone had bitten her) and explained how that girl had been hurt by someone's teeth, my baby put her head on my shoulder and cried. The book makes it clear that "teeth are not for biting!"

We knew she had been teething, and I was so glad the book even talked about that -- the REASONS toddlers sometimes bite! Babies want to be understood! She seemed relieved when I got to the page about children biting when their teeth are hurting -- like, "Oh, somebody finally understands what I'm going through!" She seemed to grasp the concept of this book*, and she has not bitten any of us since the day we first read it!

(*We also became more pro-active about treating her for teething pain - with teething toys, teething medicines, etc. The book also points out other reasons children bite, like hunger or frustration.)


Perfect for Teaching Kids Not to Bit   June 3, 2005
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Life saving book!! My son has been biting other kids a school and I was told that he might not be able to come back if the biting didn't stop. I was at my ends with the biting and started to look around for books and other methods of teaching him to communicate. This book has been a life saver. My son (2 1/2) has memorized this book (even reading it to himself in bed) and is using examples (i.e. alternatives to biting) learned from this book at school. The director of the school and all the teachers are just in shock with the 180 my son has done.

I would recommend this book to any person who has a child who bits!


Surpassed my expectations   June 9, 2005
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

What a fantastic, beautifully illustrated, well though out book. My 14 month old bites and can draw blood - mercifully only on me and my husband! She seems to do it only when teething. Thankfully she is a total bookworm and loves to copy her books. I would recommend this to any parent with a littlie!


Great idea!   October 25, 2005
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

This book has really helped my toddler understand that biting hurts. I am grateful to the author for writing this book. Thanks