Graphic Novel (1): Smile

Telgemeier, R. (2010). Smile. New York, NY: Scholastic. Raina is a 6^th grade girl who initially needs braces to correct an overbite. But unfortunately, before she gets them, she has a bad fall that leaves her missing her front two teeth. As she goes through ups and downs with getting them repaired and then corrected, her peers have many questions and opinions about Raina which made her very self-conscious. This in turn results in her sometimes making bad decisions and falling victim to the bad decisions of her peers. But once the braces come off when she is high school, Raina seems to have a delayed positive reaction to her “new” teeth. It is not until her friends assure her that she is “cute” with her new that her self-confidence surfaces. This is a cute tale of the misfortune this little pre-teen is having. My heart goes out to her throughout the story because I realize life can sometimes give you lemons. Students ages 8 to 12 years old may be encouraged by reading her story and relating their own experiences to Raina’s. Raina’s story does end positively which could give children hope that “this too shall pass”. Health teachers could probably use this book to begin a lesson on why it is important to take care of your teeth. The book meets the criteria for social development, as Raina struggles with a physical set back, it is affecting her socially as well. Self-awareness plays a big role in self-esteem.