Bones: Our Skeletal System

by Seymour Simon

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. The miracle that is your skeleton is examined with Simon's characteristic fine writing and excellent photographs.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Picture Books, Health, Childrens, Bodies

Library Binding

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Seymour Simon, whom the NY Times called "the dean of [children's science:] writers," is the author of more than 250 highly acclaimed science books (many of which have been named Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children by the National Science Teachers Association).

Seymour Simon uses his website, SeymourSimon.com, to provide free downloads of a wealth of materials for educators, homeschoolers and parents to use with his books, including 4-page Teacher Guides for all 26 of his Collins/Smithsonian photo essay books. The site provides multiple resources for kids writing book reports or wanting to explore the online Science Dictionary, and also features the Seymour Science blog highlighting current science news. Educators and families are encouraged to sign up to receive the monthly newsletter from SeymourSimon.com to stay abreast of the latest materials that Seymour Simon is introducing to enrich the reading experience.

He taught science and creative writing in elementary and secondary schools and was chair of the science department at a junior high school in the New York City public school system before leaving to become a full-time writer. "I haven't really given up teaching," he says, "and I suppose I never will, not as long as I keep writing and talking to kids around the country and the world."

Seymour Simon is also a creator and the author of a series of 3D books and a series of Glow-in-the-Dark Books for Scholastic Book Clubs, a series of leveled SEEMORE READERS for Chronicle Books, and the EINSTEIN ANDERSON, SCIENCE DETECTIVE series of fiction books. His books encourage children to enjoy the world around them through learning and discovery, and by making science fun. He has introduced tens of millions of children to a staggering array of subjects; one prominent science education specialist described Simon's books as "extraordinary examples of expository prose."

Seymour Simon has been honored with many awards for his work, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru Lifetime Achievement Award for his lasting contribution to children's science literature; the New York State Knickerbocker Award for Juvenile Literature; the Hope S. Dean Memorial Award from the Boston Public Library for his contribution to children's science literature; The Washington Post/Children's Book Guild Award for Non-fiction; the Jeremiah Ludington Award for his outstanding contribution to children's nonfiction; the Empire State Award for excellence in literature for young people; and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Forum on Children's Science Books.

In a recent interview Simon was asked if he ever thinks of retiring. "I seem to be working faster and harder than ever. I absolutely don't feel any urge to sit back and look at what I've done. The only things that I'm thinking about are things I'd like to do in the future. I'm planning and doing and continuing to write. It's what I love to do. I remember a story about an anthropologist going to talk to a tribe and he asked them what was their word for "work." Their response was they have no word for work. Everybody does the things that they do in their life. I love that response. I don't differentiate between work and play. Everything I do is something that I enjoy doing - the writing, the research and everything else."

Seymour Simon writes and photographs nature from his hilltop home in Columbia County in upstate New York, where he lives with his wife Liz Nealon.

You can follow Seymour on Facebook and on Twitter, as well as on his website, which offers free, downloadable Teacher Guides to his books for educators, parents and homeschoolers, as well as the popular Seymour Science Daily Blo

Reviews

[Sharon Barrow Wilfong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction to our skeleton, bone by bone with lots of great up close photographs. Appropriate for children ten and up.

[Saad Sekkat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saad Sekkat 8(2)
Book Share
Non-Fiction

In this nonfiction I have learned a lot of information. First of all, I learned that bones are mostly made up of flat plates called lamellae. “Bones may seem lifeless, but they are actually made up of cells and are living parts of your body. Bones grow and change just as you do.” (Bones, 1) This quote explains the actual values of bones. Without your bones, your body would be nothing but a mountain of muscles and soft tissues. Same as a building, without the framework of the building, it will collapse. Bones are strong and light. Before we are born, our bones are solid. To conclude, bones are very strong.

The photography that I liked the most was the one of the backbone. Furthermore, I never knew how a backbone looked like so I thought this photography was very interesting. Nevertheless, I learned that our backbone is a flexible column of bones. “It is made up of a chain of thirty-three small bones called vertebrae, which are fastened one on top of another. Each vertebra is hard and hollow, like a bead or a spool of thread.” (Bones, 7) The author, Seymour Simon, wrote this book so that the people who read have knowledge of what kind of bones we have and what are their importances in our human body. I know this book is a nonfiction book because it talks about real bones but not fake ones. To conclude, this has many great topics and the author did a great choice of writing this nonfiction book

I would recommend this book to people who enjoy learning about the human body. This book was interesting because it talked about the human body with many details. Nevertheless, I love how the author used a great vocabulary to explain what is in our bones and what kind of bones the human body has. Hence, this book has a high level of vocabulary and it is meant to be read by 8th graders or high school students. Furthermore, Bones, written by Seymour Simon is a book full of amazing information about what is really in our body. Nevertheless, if you have time to read a book, read Bones. This book caught my eyes in the library.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an informational book about the bones in the human body. When I first did a picture walk of the book I saw a lot of text and was discouraged. After reading the book I actually enjoyed reading it. This book not only tells the reader about the human body and its bones but how they work, what the bones jobs are, and even some disorders. The pictures were helpful to get a better idea of what all the information on the pages were talking about and I especially enjoyed the seek and finds hidden in the pictures. This would be a great book for teaching science or even health in the classroom.

[Melissa Namba · Rating 3 out of 5]

a very dense book with great information, but needs to be a little more engaging for the target audience.

[Melinda Christensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a truly lovely book about bones. I have always been interested in anatomy and physiology, and what makes our bodies work the miraculous ways they do. Bones are a support system for the body, and protect vital organs within. Bones store minerals which are needed by other parts of the body. When we age, a lot of these minerals and collagen disappear, weakening them. That is why the elderly suffer more often from broken bones. Red and yellow bone marrow are found within the hollow centers of many bones. Red bone marrow makes red and white blood cells and platelets, and the yellow bone marrow stores fat and releases it when needed elsewhere. Your bones work with your muscles and joints so you can do important tasks. There are 29 different bones in the skull, or cranium. The cranium is extremely important because it protects the brain as well as ears, eyes, and nose. A chain of 33 small bones called vertebrae make up your backbone, or spine, and they allow you to bend down or keep your body upright. The rib cage forms a shell which protects the heart, lungs, stomach and liver. This cage is made up of twelve pair of curved bones. The longest and heaviest bone in the body is the femur, which is attached to the spine by the pelvis, then below, to the knee and calf bones, then to the feet. Then there are arm bones, which are connected to the collarbone and shoulder bone, and below, to the hands, which are composed of 27 bones apiece. Aren't our bodies intricate? Our bones allow us to breathe, eat, walk and run!

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good resource and supplement to my human body unit. Could be updated.

Q2021 book.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Seymour Simon, I love Seymour Simon, I love Seymour Simon. He does a wonderful job of writing informational, scientific texts for children without making them feel "dumbed down." His voice is both approachable and engaging.

The information here is great, but would have been better had it been split up into chapters. It all flows together, but as a longer text I think children would have benefitted greatly from having these ideas named and labeled with chapters.

No resources at the back - no glossary, index, sources, etc.

[Nashiea Edmiston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simon did an excellent job of bringing a non-fiction, informational text to life in such a way that I felt as though I was reading story instead of an informational book. This book does not have your typical text features such as a glossary and index but it has all the facts in a story-like form. Made for an easy read and I was able to retain quite a bit of the information presented! Would make an excellent resource during a science/anatomy unit.

[Christina Camp · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is kind of a more advanced book for kids, but is full of information. In my classroom, I will let the more advanced readers use this book when we are doing informational reading and writing. This is a great book to get facts from and learn all about the bones in your body. The students in my second grade placement love this book.

[Mary Dye · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fantastic book that helped me gain knowledge into the wonderful world that is our skeletal system. As a student that has never taken anatomy, it was really intriguing for me to read about bones in a manor that was simple enough for me to understand without having to look up definitions and what not.

[Shelly♥ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great pictures in this book, but it was kind of vague in it's discussion of the skeleton. More diagrams to accompany the pictures would have been helpful. I'd say kids reading this would remember absolutely nothing because of how the material was presented.

[Brent Rogers · Rating 1 out of 5]

The title says it all. Bones is about the many different bones in the human body and the purpose of each. It is very detailed and informational. The pictures are not drawn, and many are taken through X-ray. This book is appropriate for children in 2nd grade and up.

[Theresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

a great resource for teacher about the human body

[Michelle Brandstetter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent detailed information on the body's structural system.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learn the different bones and why they are important.