"Doctor De Soto, the dentist, did very good work, so he had no end of patients..."

With the aid of his able assistant, Mrs. De Soto, he copes with the toothaches of animals large and small. His expertise is so great that his fortunate patients never feel any pain.

Since he's a mouse, Doctor De Soto refuses to treat "dangerous" animals—that is, animals who have a taste for mice. But one day a fox shows up and begs for relief from the tooth that's killing him. How can the kindhearted De Sotos turn him away? But, how can they make sure that the fox doesn't give in to his baser instincts once his tooth is fixed? Those clever De Sotos will find a way.

'Doctor De Soto' is a 1982 New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year and Outstanding Book of the Year, a 1983 Boston Globe - Horn Book Awards Honor Book for Picture Books, and a 1983 Newbery Honor Book.

William Steig (1907-2003) was an American cartoonist, illustrator and writer of children's books. He was best known for the picture book Shrek!' (1990), which inspired the film series of the same name, as well as others that included 'Sylvester and the Magic Pebble' (1969), 'Abel's Island' (1976), and 'Doctor De Soto' (1982).