Ira is nervous about her dentist visit. She has never had a filling before. When Ira meets Zack, a talking caterpillar, in the dentist’s waiting room, Zack knows just how to make her feel better. Zack explains that the dentist’s tools are simple, harmless objects used in everyday life. Through their imagination, Ira will learn to understand the nature and importance of getting a filling. Along with the book there is a song, “I don’t mind going to the dentist”. Shweta Ujaoney, D.D.S. (D.D.S.’16/D) is a dentist who is passionate about working with kids and giving them a better dental experience. She realized that kids are generally apprehensive about things that are unknown to them or new to them. They learn by comparing and contrasting things that they already know and hence add on to their knowledge and experience. The desire to make dental treatment more acceptable, easy and happy for kids inspired her to write this book. Through her practice, Ujaoney has found that kids not only love to learn about the dental gadgets, but also love to be active participants in dental treatment. She has extensively researched the various reasons for dental fear and anxiety in children and published scientific papers. She is also the inventor of the “Camouflage syringe,” which helps mask the sharp anesthetic needle. https://blogs.vcu.edu/enews/2020/08/20/alumni-authors-read-their-childrens-books-in-storytime-series-recognizing-national-read-a-book-day/ -- VCU Alumni is your lifelong connection to your alma mater, Virginia Commonwealth University. Website: https://vcualumni.org Blog: https://blogs.vcu.edu/enews/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/vcualumni/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/vcualumni Instagram: https://instagram.com/vcualumni/