Why a Booktrail?
Care to meet the Norwegian tooth trolls?
Karius and Baktus
What you need to know before your trail
The main characters are Karius (black haired) and Bactus (red haired). Their names are puns on Caries and Bacteria, and they are two small “tooth trolls” that live inside cavities in the teeth of a boy named Jens. They have a very good life, especially when Jens eats white bread with syrup and fails to brush his teeth afterwards. Eventually their homes are destroyed by the work of a dentist and they are rinsed out of Jens’ mouth through proper dental care.
Travel Guide
Norway
A classic children’s story about taking care of your teeth and remembering to clean them well.
The two trolls live in Jens’ mouth who hates to brush his teeth and refuses to visit the dentist. Karius and Bactus cheer when Jens eats white bread with syrup, which enables them to beat extra hard into his teeth.
The book created a real change in Norwegian dental health. Children (and adults!) began to take their dental health more seriously, and health-promoting products such as fluoride toothpaste and tablets were launched.
Some years after the release, Thorbjørn Egner had to adjust the original edition. Many children were upset when Jens decided to go to the dentist and Karius and Bactus disappeared out into the big drain. In the edited version they end up on a raft at sea, in search of a new mouth to move into.
Booktrail Boarding Pass: Karius and Bactus
Destination : Norway Author/Guide: Thorborn Egner Departure Time: everyday!
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