“Doctor De Soto, the dentist, did very good work.” 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.
本書榮獲1982年紐約時報兒童書獎；
1983年波士頓號角書銀獎
1983年紐伯瑞銀獎。
本書雖然是紐伯瑞銀獎的小說，其實更像繪本或圖畫故事書，

細心的家長甚至可以在市場上找到相關的動畫片

聰明的老鼠，穿著白大褂，他的工作是牙醫。給大大小小的動物們看病，需要動腦筋，差別可不小。

尤其是……還要給狡猾的狐貍看牙。說不定，狐貍今天想吃的就是一只香脆老鼠呢？

最后，牙醫會怎么對付狐貍呢？

這個故事文字適中，適合給3-6歲的小朋友閱讀。

　　“I cannot imagine childhood without Steig: Sylvester, Pearl, Caleb, and now Doctor De Soto.”—The Dallas Morning News
　　“This is one of those picture books that are so good I’d just like to quote the whole thing.”—Philadelphia Inquirer
　　“Simple but sly, a mischievously imaginative rendition of the classic theme.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
　　“Doctor De Soto is a mouse dentist who . . . operates a clinic open to all except animals threatening to mice. What to do, then, when a weeping and wailing fox shows up for treatment? . . . There is great wit and good fun in the illustrations.”—Booklist, Starred Review