What to Do with a Used Toothbrush – illustrated by Tali Niv-Dolinsky

Written By: Mel Rosenberg

Illustrations: Tali Niv-Dolinsky

One evening, just the other night,

Betty’s Dad

Was putting his daughter,

That’s Betty, to bed,

When he suddenly remembered,

What he wanted to say,

So this is what he said.

“Betty, dear,

Have you brushed your teeth tonight?

Brushing your teeth,

Keeps your breath sweet,

And your teeth lovely and white.”

“Daddy,” answered Betty,

“At bedtime

I always wash my face,

And brush my teeth,

With just a little paste.

I also brush my teeth,

In the morning, every day,

To keep the bacteria away.”

“I’m very glad,”

Said Betty’s Dad,

“But don’t you think it’s time,

To throw your old toothbrush away?

We bought it

Three months ago,

On Mother’s Day.

So tomorrow let’s go,

To the store next door,

And buy one that’s new.

Who knows?

Perhaps I’ll even

Get one too.”

Betty was sad,

So she asked her Dad,

“What’s the rush?

My toothbrush

Is my little friend.

I call her Ettie,

She calls me Betty Spaghetti.

We play together every day,

So how can I just throw her away?

“Well,” said Dad,

“Please don’t be sad,

Let’s think of what we could do,

With a toothbrush that’s old, not new. 

“We could

Make a small kite,

Or a butterfly,

Or give the brush,

To our puppy Hush.

Then we could brush,

His teeth as well,

So they wouldn’t have that awful smell.

“We could drum with it,

Paint with it,

Hang it on a keychain,

Or make a little ornament

Which your sister, Elaine,

Can wear,

In her hair.”

In the end,

Betty,

Decided to hang Ettie

On the wall.

To make sure she wouldn’t fall,

Dad built

A special gizmo

For Ettie and all her

Other toothbrush-friends.

(It even holds pencils and pens)!

Since then,

Every three months, or even two,

Betty’s Dad buys her a new toothbrush,

Sometimes purple, sometimes blue,

And to this very day,

Betty never throws

A toothbrush away.

She collects them all,

In the gizmo on the wall.

She always thinks of what to do,

With every toothbrush, old or new.

Now tell us please what you might do,

When your toothbrush is older too.

Will you throw it a way,

Or find a way

To make it useful too?

THE END

Thank you for reading our book!

If you like it, you might also want to read other children’s books that I’ve written and Tali Niv-Dolinsky has illustrated. For example:

“Witch Wizelda and the Talking Toothbrush”

http://www.ourboox.com/books/witch-wizelda-and-the-talking-toothbrush/

Read more about me and see ALL my books on Ourboox (I have many)

http://www.ourboox.com/community/drmel/profile/edit/group/1/

Or even better, create a book of your own!!!

www.ourboox.com

Here is a tutorial to help you get started on your own voyage as an Ourboox contributor!!

http://www.ourboox.com/books/create-a-book-ourboox-video-tutorial/

And finally, you can always write me at 

[email protected]