Albert's Impossible Toothache

Parents and children alike will see themselves in this endearing tale of a small turtle’s struggle to be believed and understood - lovingly reintroduced for a new generation of readers.


When little Albert Turtle complains that he has a toothache, his father assures him that that’s impossible and points to his own toothless mouth. But Albert won’t get out of bed, and Mother Turtle begins to worry. Will Albert’s toothache ever go away? Even more important, will anyone ever believe him? First published thirty years ago, Barbara Williams’s familiar tale of miscommunication - and a wise grandmother who gets it right - is wonderfully animated by Doug Cushman’s colorful, humorously detailed illustrations.

Barbara Williams is the renowned author of numerous books for children, including ALBERT'S IMPOSSIBLE TOOTHACHE, which was originally published in 1974. She says, "I wrote this story and dedicated it to my daughter, Kim, a preteen hypochondriac, because I hadn’t believed her when she reported that she fell off the monkey bars at school on two consecutive days and broke both wrists." Barbara Williams lives with her husband, a retired professor.


Doug Cushman is the illustrator of several children’s books, including the best-selling WHAT DADS CAN'T DO, by Doug Wood. He has also written and illustrated some of his own. He says, "One of my early and major influences was the comic strip Pogo, set in the Okefenokee Swamp. When I read ALBERT'S IMPOSSIBLE TOOTHACHE, it just seemed a swamp setting would be perfect."