Bones: Skeletons and How They Work

An expansive and lively treatment of a material most of us take for granted.

Gr 3–6— From the life-sized human skull grinning out from the brick-red cover to a complete skeleton waving goodbye from a gatefold late in the book, bones are given an entertaining and fresh treatment. Beginning with the opening spread of life-sized animal bones, human bones are quantified and qualified. Hands, feet, femurs, ribs, spine, and skull are shown and compared to other species. Symmetry and joints as well as adaptations for survival are introduced. Humor abounds in the illustrations as well as in subheadings such as, "That's a Handful," "Big Foot," and "Head Case." Readers will be lured in by interactive touches like "What bone is this?" and the "Some Assembly Required" spread with all 206 adult human bones unlabeled and grouped by body area. Displayed against a navy-blue background, the spread opens to the burnt sienna gatefold mentioned above. Two additional gatefolds include a small python (200 ribs) and a collection of skulls. Jenkins's characteristic cut-paper collages in mottled creams and grays are perfectly suited to the topic and contrasted against solid jewel-tone, full-bleed backgrounds. The precise and scaled representations (many life size) are clearly labeled. Text, other than an opening page, is limited and supports the highly visual and sophisticated treatment. A "More About Bones" spread completes the book with a hodgepodge of fascinating facts. With applications that range from anatomy to evolution and mathematics, this book will find a place in every collection.—"Carol S. Surges, McKinley Elementary School, Wauwatosa, WI" Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.