Enamel the Camel

PreS-Gr 1–Enamel the Camel has an overbite, which he brushes to a bright, glowing shine. This marks Enamel as different from his fellow camels, and he gets teased at school. Despite kind words from Enamel’s friends, the bullying gets him down. After being teased one time too many during a student outing at the Big Palm Oasis, Enamel decides he’d rather be alone. But when an epic sandstorm blows in, Enamel saves the day. Using his teeth in a very “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” fashion, Enamel leads his scared classmates home to their worried parents. The town thanks him with an award for heroism, and everyone starts brushing their teeth and smiling. King, a dentist, combines the lesson with wordplay, including such zingers as “Camel-lot,” “One Hump Lane,” and “Dromedharry.” Vaguely Seussian illustrations bring a real depth and shine to the text. The camels all have fun hair styles and effective facial expressions, and Enamel’s teeth always emit a faint, shining glow. In addition, the variety of illustration formats and text placement consistently move the story forward.