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Bones: Skeletons and How They Work
Caldecott Honor winner Steve Jenkins presents a fascinating look at the bones of the human body as compared to the bones of animals, and shows them off! This book is far from skinny -- it's the definitive nonfiction title about human and animal bones, delivered with in-your-face accuracy and intrigue. In this visually driven volume, kids come face-to-face with some head-to-toe boney comparisons, many of them shown at actual size. Here you'll find the differences between a man's hand and that of a spider monkey; the great weight of an elephant's leg, paired with the feather-light femur of a stork; and rib-tickling info about snakes and sloths. How many bones are in the whole human body?
48 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2010
12 people are currently reading
850 people want to read
About the author
Steve Jenkins
135 books238 followersSteve was born in 1952 in Hickory, North Carolina. His father, who would become a physics professor and astronomer (and recently his co-author on a book about the Solar System), was in the military and, later, working on science degrees at several different universities. We moved often. Steve lived in North Carolina, Panama, Virginia, Kansas, and Colorado. Wherever he lived, he kept a menagerie of lizards, turtles, spiders, and other animals, collected rocks and fossils, and blew things up in his small chemistry lab.
Because he moved often, Steve didn't have a large group of friends, and he spent a lot of time with books. His parents read to him until he could read himself, and he became an obsessive reader.
His interest in science led me to believe that I'd be a scientist himself. At the last minute, he chose instead to go to art school in North Carolina, where he studied graphic design. After graduation he moved to New York City, where he worked in advertising and design, first in large firms and then with his wife, Robin Page, in their own small graphic design firm. Robin, also an author and illustrator, is his frequent collaborator — they've made sixteen children's books together.
Their daughter Page was born in 1986 and our son, Alec, two years later. They began reading to them when they were just a few months old, and Steve became interested in making children's books himself. My wife and I read to our two older children almost every night until hisdaughter was 12 or 13, long after they were reading on their own. It was, in many ways, the best part of the day.
In 1994 they moved to from New York City to Boulder, Colorado, where they work in a studio attached to their house, which was built in the 1880s and often functions as if it were still the 19th century.
Their youngest son, Jamie, was born in 1998. The questions his children asked over the years have been the inspiration for many of their books.
Librarian's Note: There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database.
Because he moved often, Steve didn't have a large group of friends, and he spent a lot of time with books. His parents read to him until he could read himself, and he became an obsessive reader.
His interest in science led me to believe that I'd be a scientist himself. At the last minute, he chose instead to go to art school in North Carolina, where he studied graphic design. After graduation he moved to New York City, where he worked in advertising and design, first in large firms and then with his wife, Robin Page, in their own small graphic design firm. Robin, also an author and illustrator, is his frequent collaborator — they've made sixteen children's books together.
Their daughter Page was born in 1986 and our son, Alec, two years later. They began reading to them when they were just a few months old, and Steve became interested in making children's books himself. My wife and I read to our two older children almost every night until hisdaughter was 12 or 13, long after they were reading on their own. It was, in many ways, the best part of the day.
In 1994 they moved to from New York City to Boulder, Colorado, where they work in a studio attached to their house, which was built in the 1880s and often functions as if it were still the 19th century.
Their youngest son, Jamie, was born in 1998. The questions his children asked over the years have been the inspiration for many of their books.
Librarian's Note: There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
March 2, 2017
Bones by Steve Jenkins is a children's book about bones. Children will learn about the importance of bones, their function, and how they repair themselves.
This book isn't just about human bones. It also compares and contrasts human bones to animal bones. It's full of interesting illustrations of the bones and includes some "actual size" photos.
This is a great book for kid's to learn about skeletons, why we must have them, and how they work to support the body everyday. It's great for schools, libraries, and for home reading.
4****
This book isn't just about human bones. It also compares and contrasts human bones to animal bones. It's full of interesting illustrations of the bones and includes some "actual size" photos.
This is a great book for kid's to learn about skeletons, why we must have them, and how they work to support the body everyday. It's great for schools, libraries, and for home reading.
4****
August 19, 2010
Really all any book needs is Steve Jenkins’ name on the front and his great illustrations inside. Just those two things and you know it’s going to be great. In this book, Jenkins turns his attention to bones and skeletons. The size and shape of bones are explored as are skeletons of the human body and of various animals. Information is given about bones and the illustrations of the bones are laid out on very colorful pages that highlight the bones but offer some vibrancy as well. This book of bones should be in every school and public library.
Jenkin’s text here offers just enough detail to be informative but also never too much too be weighty. It offers the same bright, freshness as the illustrations themselves. His illustrations are studies in restraint as he works his paper magic using a very limited boney palette of colors. The design of the book makes it rather like an archeological discovery, since you never know what bones you will find when you turn the page. Several of the pages fold out to offer large scale illustrations, including a full human skeleton. Along the way, readers are asked questions and get to think about the body, the bones and how they function.
A virtuoso book, it is appropriate for ages 7-10.
Jenkin’s text here offers just enough detail to be informative but also never too much too be weighty. It offers the same bright, freshness as the illustrations themselves. His illustrations are studies in restraint as he works his paper magic using a very limited boney palette of colors. The design of the book makes it rather like an archeological discovery, since you never know what bones you will find when you turn the page. Several of the pages fold out to offer large scale illustrations, including a full human skeleton. Along the way, readers are asked questions and get to think about the body, the bones and how they function.
A virtuoso book, it is appropriate for ages 7-10.
March 3, 2011
I feel as though every review I leave for a Steve Jenkins book is just a copy of the whatever I read just before... but he is that consistent. This artist is brilliant at picking subjects that awe and intrigue young minds and stretch them to think in excited and curious ways. Whether is merely the illustrator or the collaborative writer and illustrator, his books grab our attention, feed our curiosity and launch conversation and further reading. Thanks to Jenkins, my not quite 4 year old is getting to think about about elementary and middle school sciences in a way that is accessible to him and fascinating.
While the technical language in this book is probably very well suited to the target audience (elementary and middle school students), it was tough for us. Nonetheless, it was an ideal introduction to the skeletal systems of things my nearly 4 year old cares about. A human hand the size of his daddy's. A human arm bone the size of his own. The rib cage of his dog in detail. Best of all, the 4 page system of ribs of a python. My son enjoyed guessing at the animals being represented by their skeletal systems and loved to pick up new vocabulary like femur, joint, skull, etc. Great springboard for conversation on what is going on under our skin.
While the technical language in this book is probably very well suited to the target audience (elementary and middle school students), it was tough for us. Nonetheless, it was an ideal introduction to the skeletal systems of things my nearly 4 year old cares about. A human hand the size of his daddy's. A human arm bone the size of his own. The rib cage of his dog in detail. Best of all, the 4 page system of ribs of a python. My son enjoyed guessing at the animals being represented by their skeletal systems and loved to pick up new vocabulary like femur, joint, skull, etc. Great springboard for conversation on what is going on under our skin.
Read
June 11, 2020I found Bones: Skeletons and How They Work by Steve Jenkins on the Goodreads nonfiction picture book list. Steve Jenkins is an award winning author and illustrator, who won a Caldecott Honor in 2014. In this book, Jenkins compares and contrasts human bones to those of animals. This informational picture book is factual nonfiction. There are many visuals in the book and many bones are depicted to scale. Some pages even include foldouts! The visuals pop against the solid color backgrounds and there is a variety of text on each page. I think this book would be appropriate to use in an upper elementary classroom during a science unit about the human body or an exploration into animal skeletons. I read this book on YouTube.
April 10, 2020
Bones: Skeletons and How They Work is a compelling informational text. The picture book documents all the different kinds of bones that creatures, humans and otherwise, have. It shows all different kinds of bones, like skulls, ribs, and different types of joints. A lot of pictures are shown to scale and it is fascinating to see the size of some animal skeletons. This book has so much information packed into its pages and it is fun to read. This book would be great for a 3rd grader to read.
I would use this book as a parallel to read aloud to my students when we learn about the human body. It would be good as a unit introduction book. Not only does the book talk about the human skeletal system, but it also shows great comparisons to other types of skeletons in the animal world. It would be a great start to get kids invested in the topic.
This book could also be used as a resource for students when they are completing a research project. The text is nonfiction so it would be a viable book for students to choose. The back of the book also gives a lot of other interesting facts that students could use while writing a paper or making a poster, etc.
This was a WOW book for me because of all the fun I had while reading it! Many times, informational texts can be boring, but Steve Jenkins does a great job of using cool facts along with fun pictures and imagery to make learning exciting. I never knew that bones could be so interesting to learn about!
I read this book as an e-text.
I would use this book as a parallel to read aloud to my students when we learn about the human body. It would be good as a unit introduction book. Not only does the book talk about the human skeletal system, but it also shows great comparisons to other types of skeletons in the animal world. It would be a great start to get kids invested in the topic.
This book could also be used as a resource for students when they are completing a research project. The text is nonfiction so it would be a viable book for students to choose. The back of the book also gives a lot of other interesting facts that students could use while writing a paper or making a poster, etc.
This was a WOW book for me because of all the fun I had while reading it! Many times, informational texts can be boring, but Steve Jenkins does a great job of using cool facts along with fun pictures and imagery to make learning exciting. I never knew that bones could be so interesting to learn about!
I read this book as an e-text.
October 29, 2011
Bones held the kids' attention pretty well, certainly better than I expected it to. We had a lot of fun comparing the bones of the various animals presented, and we enjoyed the information presented on the several fold-out pages. Nicely illustrated, and put together in an informative way.
December 11, 2018
Summary: This book focuses on the many bones found in animals (including humans) and their purpose. He compares and contrasts the bones of humans to that of other species.
Personal Response: This book is so very informational and clever! It is obvious that a lot of research went into creating this book! I loved the subtle hints of humor found throughout the book as well!
Description of Illustrations: The illustrations of this book were very obviously well planned. It is noted at the rear of the book that the illustrations were created with a cut paper collage technique.
Classroom connections: Students can make connections to math, as many pages include ratios! They can also use this book to connect to ELA where they can compare and contrast, like the author of this book did with the bones! Simple anatomy lessons can be enhanced by the reading of this book.
Personal Response: This book is so very informational and clever! It is obvious that a lot of research went into creating this book! I loved the subtle hints of humor found throughout the book as well!
Description of Illustrations: The illustrations of this book were very obviously well planned. It is noted at the rear of the book that the illustrations were created with a cut paper collage technique.
Classroom connections: Students can make connections to math, as many pages include ratios! They can also use this book to connect to ELA where they can compare and contrast, like the author of this book did with the bones! Simple anatomy lessons can be enhanced by the reading of this book.
October 10, 2019
Genre: Informational Nonfiction
Theme: bones
Grade level: 3-5
Awards:
DeBary Children's Science Book Award
Maryland Blue Crab Young Reader Award
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award
Parents' Choice Award
SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science
Summary: This book goes over different animals skeletons and bones and how they work. It does a good job at comparing sizes so that you can picture how big or small the bone is. It goes from hands, to feet, to exoskeletons, to backs, skulls and then to how the bones help us move.
Personal Response: I love the illustrations and science of this book. I liked how it showed the size comparisons between our bones and other animals. It's very interesting and informational.
Other info: The theme of this book is really cool, I always loved the bones sections at museums. Especially the bones of dinosaurs. It shows a part of us and other mammals that we don't usually see and helps explain how we are built and how we move around. The illustrations for this book were made with cut paper collage. I love how everything is nicely spaced on the pages, this makes the information easy to see and understand. I also like how there are little labels everywhere telling you what animal the bones are from and what kind of bone it is.
Connections: This is a great book for science! I could do an lesson with it where we learned about how many bones are in the human body and facts about what bones are the strongest and what we use them for. I could also have the kids do an art project creating something from the book with cut paper collage.
Theme: bones
Grade level: 3-5
Awards:
DeBary Children's Science Book Award
Maryland Blue Crab Young Reader Award
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award
Parents' Choice Award
SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science
Summary: This book goes over different animals skeletons and bones and how they work. It does a good job at comparing sizes so that you can picture how big or small the bone is. It goes from hands, to feet, to exoskeletons, to backs, skulls and then to how the bones help us move.
Personal Response: I love the illustrations and science of this book. I liked how it showed the size comparisons between our bones and other animals. It's very interesting and informational.
Other info: The theme of this book is really cool, I always loved the bones sections at museums. Especially the bones of dinosaurs. It shows a part of us and other mammals that we don't usually see and helps explain how we are built and how we move around. The illustrations for this book were made with cut paper collage. I love how everything is nicely spaced on the pages, this makes the information easy to see and understand. I also like how there are little labels everywhere telling you what animal the bones are from and what kind of bone it is.
Connections: This is a great book for science! I could do an lesson with it where we learned about how many bones are in the human body and facts about what bones are the strongest and what we use them for. I could also have the kids do an art project creating something from the book with cut paper collage.
January 19, 2011
In this visual volume, kids come face-to-face with some head-to-toe boney comparisons between animal & human bones, many of them shown at actual size. You'll find the differences between a man's hand & that of a spider monkey; the great weight of an elephant's leg, paired with the feather-light femur of a stork; and rib-tickling info about snakes & sloths. (Goodreads Summary)
Bones by Steve Jenkins is a visual delight by this award winning illustrator.
Jenkins discusses animal & human bones in order, showing us hands, arms, feet, legs, ribs, vertebae, neck and skull. He continues on to joints, body symmetry, body adaption, and all the bones that make up a human skeleton. A Facts, Stories, History & Science section about bones concludes the book.
The book is made more intriuging by the variety of animals whose bomes are shown. You never know what may appear next. The three fold out sections show the skelton of a python, a variety of skulls, and a human skeleton. There is a lot of information but it never seems overwhelming. Jenkin's punny headings also add some fun. As usual, his cut paper collage illustrations are perfect.
Libraries will want to have this title avaiable, although a little reinforcement of the pullout pages may be in order. While some illustrations are actual size a numbe of to scale, inorder to make everything fit on the page. For ages 7 - 10, and those who love bones and Jenkin's art.
Bones by Steve Jenkins is a visual delight by this award winning illustrator.
Jenkins discusses animal & human bones in order, showing us hands, arms, feet, legs, ribs, vertebae, neck and skull. He continues on to joints, body symmetry, body adaption, and all the bones that make up a human skeleton. A Facts, Stories, History & Science section about bones concludes the book.
The book is made more intriuging by the variety of animals whose bomes are shown. You never know what may appear next. The three fold out sections show the skelton of a python, a variety of skulls, and a human skeleton. There is a lot of information but it never seems overwhelming. Jenkin's punny headings also add some fun. As usual, his cut paper collage illustrations are perfect.
Libraries will want to have this title avaiable, although a little reinforcement of the pullout pages may be in order. While some illustrations are actual size a numbe of to scale, inorder to make everything fit on the page. For ages 7 - 10, and those who love bones and Jenkin's art.
May 10, 2015
This was a fun book to read. The pictures were all drawn, but it was interesting and captured your attention. This book picks different bones in the body and compares them to the same bone in other animals. There is a lot of information about why each animal uses that bone and why each creature needs that bone. At the end the book, there is some facts about animals without bones, or goes further into why bones are needed.
Purposes in the classroom:
Read aloud: This book would be used in a science class when talking about bones. This book would be geared more towards a younger grades, especially since the pictures are just illustrations. This book would be a good lesson in comparison. Each students could pick a bone and find out more about the bone. The students could also look more into the facts at the end and learn more about those topics. This might also be a good independent reading book since theres lots of little labels and short sentences.
Non-fiction elements: The only non-ficiton element found is captions on pictures. This book would not be a strong non-fiction book, but it explain well how different bones work. This book would be a good introduction to bones. I would probably not use it as the only book to talk about bones, but I think it would be a good book to start to get kids excited about researching bones.
Purposes in the classroom:
Read aloud: This book would be used in a science class when talking about bones. This book would be geared more towards a younger grades, especially since the pictures are just illustrations. This book would be a good lesson in comparison. Each students could pick a bone and find out more about the bone. The students could also look more into the facts at the end and learn more about those topics. This might also be a good independent reading book since theres lots of little labels and short sentences.
Non-fiction elements: The only non-ficiton element found is captions on pictures. This book would not be a strong non-fiction book, but it explain well how different bones work. This book would be a good introduction to bones. I would probably not use it as the only book to talk about bones, but I think it would be a good book to start to get kids excited about researching bones.
March 27, 2018
“Bones: Skeletons and How They Work” is a great informational book about bones, and how they work. The author, Steve Jenkins dives into the intriguing topic of bones, and the purpose they serve to humans and animals. It is an interesting book that will have you being thankful for your strong and healthy bones!
Children will read the title of this book and immediately gain interest for this hot topic of bones, because it did it for me! I really liked how the author included detailed pictures of human and animal bones on each page. There was also descriptions included for each picture, which was very helpful as well. The author made sure to include informational language that kids can learn as they read, which was a good literary element. Another one that I noticed was ho rich the text was in detail. There was a perfect amount of information that young readers could build off of.
I really enjoyed this informational text selection because of the descriptions the author provided on each page. It was a simple read, but also a read that you could gain knowledge off of, and those are the best books to read!
May 13, 2011
I am not one for bones--it's definitely one of the medical things that would forever prevent me from being a doctor or nurse, despite my intrigue in how the body is put together, how it works, and how it heals. Still, this book wasn't too bad for me. (Except for the little picture of the broken one. Yech.) I think this would be a very good recommendation for those interested in the comparison of human and other animal skeletons. I was actually intrigued to see so many of the similarities. The information about the different bones were concise and simple, not overwhelming. The only thing I didn't like (though it was rather pertinent) was the constant side note of the scale of the pictures. Oh well.
I think this is a good nomination as it is informative, can appeal to many ages (including very young), and it not too much to take in all at once. Told in an interesting enough way to keep attention, too.
I think this is a good nomination as it is informative, can appeal to many ages (including very young), and it not too much to take in all at once. Told in an interesting enough way to keep attention, too.
October 24, 2019
Once again, Jenkins, writer and cut-paper artist extraordinaire, has created an eye-opening text. Readers can take a close look at the actual size and shape of various animals’ bones as they read about how bones support, protect, connect, and move. In one example, the skull of a human and a mouse lemur presents a clear contrast in dimensions. If the actual sizes of the bones (like the skeleton of a velociraptor or the bones of a human rib cage) are too large for the page, Jenkins has scaled the images to fit the page and included a scale notation. There is a “More About Bones” section at the end of the text that includes interesting trivia. Did you know that a blue whale’s skull is the size of a station wagon? This book could be introduced during a unit of study, checked out for independent reading, or placed prominently in the classroom library for examination.
Review written for IRA Reading Today, May 2011.
Review written for IRA Reading Today, May 2011.
November 29, 2014
Bones by Steve Jenkins is an informational nonfiction picture book that shows various bones in different animals along with facts about each animal. Throughout this book children can visually see the difference in size of different animals bones. This book was awarded the Caldecott Award winner for its illustrations. The illustrations are descriptive and colorful that helps grab the attention of children.
This book would be appropriate at a lower elementary level.In the classroom I would use this for a science lesson about bones. I could have the students cut out bones and make their own skeleton themselves. Also, I could have my students research different animals and look at the skeletons of each along with facts about the animal. This book could also to looked at while examining different type of nonfiction books.
This book would be appropriate at a lower elementary level.In the classroom I would use this for a science lesson about bones. I could have the students cut out bones and make their own skeleton themselves. Also, I could have my students research different animals and look at the skeletons of each along with facts about the animal. This book could also to looked at while examining different type of nonfiction books.
October 17, 2013
See my full review here: http://misstiffreads.blogspot.com/201...
Blending information and creepiness, Bones is perfect for the young reader. The function of bones is perfectly illustrated for both people and animals, and often comparisons are made between human bones and animal bones. For instance, in one spread, a human arm, monkey arm, and fruit bat arm (or wing) are all shown. Some bones are shown life-size, like the human hand or skull, while others are shown to scale. Each time the bones is listed with the correct proportion and readers will love sizing their own body part to the skeletal figure. With simple text and great illustrations, Steve Jenkins shows why he is a master of informative books for children.
Blending information and creepiness, Bones is perfect for the young reader. The function of bones is perfectly illustrated for both people and animals, and often comparisons are made between human bones and animal bones. For instance, in one spread, a human arm, monkey arm, and fruit bat arm (or wing) are all shown. Some bones are shown life-size, like the human hand or skull, while others are shown to scale. Each time the bones is listed with the correct proportion and readers will love sizing their own body part to the skeletal figure. With simple text and great illustrations, Steve Jenkins shows why he is a master of informative books for children.
March 17, 2014
Bones by Steve Jenkins is an Informational Text that discusses bones of many different animals and their similarities or differences. This book also features detailed pictures that are drawn to scale in relation to each other. This text gives many interesting facts about bones as well as compares the different species bone structures.
This text could be used in the classroom to extend on a lesson about animals or the human body. With this text, I could have students compare and contrast things they know about different types of animals and their bone structures. This book provides great comparisons and basic information that students could easily use as a base for projects. This book also provides an easy connection between Reading and Science instruction.
This text could be used in the classroom to extend on a lesson about animals or the human body. With this text, I could have students compare and contrast things they know about different types of animals and their bone structures. This book provides great comparisons and basic information that students could easily use as a base for projects. This book also provides an easy connection between Reading and Science instruction.
June 18, 2015
Steve Jenkins book is beautifully crafted and includes fantastic information provided in a way that children can understand. Jenkins gives the scale of each bone depicted in the book (actual size, 1/4th the size of the actual bone, etc.) and shows similar bones in a variety of animals. A study of the book makes it easy to see that even very different animals have some bone structures that are very similar. All the work with ratios and proportions could make this a great math tie-in, but the most stunning parts are the "gatefold" spreads that depict very large and detailed illustrations. The one of a life-size skeleton of a "small" 6 foot python was realistic enough to give me the willies! Kids will line up to study this one!
April 11, 2017
As the title points out, this book is about how bones work in our bodies and other animal bodies. The pictures in this book are all very precise and detailed, while the texts are very informative. Children can see how the sizes of the bones differ among various kinds of animal. With the side-by-side comparison of some bones of different animal, it is fun to learn the structure of animal bodies. The colorful illustration can absolutely get children’s attention while they’re reading this book. Moreover, as some of the bones illustrated are life size, readers can actually compare their body parts to the bone drawings on the pages.
I would recommend this book to age 5 or older for it’s a useful informational picture book and that the kids and parents will have fun reading together.
I would recommend this book to age 5 or older for it’s a useful informational picture book and that the kids and parents will have fun reading together.
November 14, 2015
The paper collage illustrations are amazing -- and incredibly scientifically precise. While I didn't directly read the text with my students, the illustrations have been a wonderful resource. We specifically utilized four pages of skulls while we were examining, discussing, and drawing skull specimens. Having the added variety and detail offered by the book made it easier for the children to make generalizations about animals based on their skulls (ex. - thinking about their teeth and implications for what they eat, the size and position of their eyes and implications for vision direction and quality, and so forth).
August 26, 2013
We've read many books by Steve Jenkins and we love his ability to make science interesting and fun. This book depicts bones of all different kinds of animals, including humans. The reader can see images that are actual size as well as proportionally reduced, so the entire bone or animal can be shown. We were sure to note what size is displayed, so we could imagine what the actual size is. The illustrations are simple, but provide enough detail to show how each bone fits in the entire skeleton. We really enjoyed reading this book together.
September 30, 2013
Bones is a wonderful resource for students and educators when covering the skeletal system. (Typically in 7th grade during Life Science - however it would be useful for any grade to some level). Steve Jenkins did a lovely job showing and comparing bones of various animals, including us humans, with one another to show the differences and similarity in size and structure. The illustrations are either actual size or proportionately reduced or enlarged; noted at the bottom of the page how each image is featured. Any school library or classroom would benefit from having this book on its shelves.
November 6, 2017
1) Caldecott Honor
2) First Grade
3) This book gives information on different types of bones. There are facts about bones. This book answers the questions that many children can have about bones, like what happens when your bone breaks.
4) This book is great because it teaches children a lot of interesting facts about bones. Children can learn about the bones of different animals. Both adults and children can learn facts from this book.
5) a) As a class, they can label a skeleton using what they learned and using new information.
b) As a class they can group facts they learned into things about humans and things about animals.
2) First Grade
3) This book gives information on different types of bones. There are facts about bones. This book answers the questions that many children can have about bones, like what happens when your bone breaks.
4) This book is great because it teaches children a lot of interesting facts about bones. Children can learn about the bones of different animals. Both adults and children can learn facts from this book.
5) a) As a class, they can label a skeleton using what they learned and using new information.
b) As a class they can group facts they learned into things about humans and things about animals.
April 20, 2017
This book picks different bones in the body and compares them to the same bone in other animals. There is a lot of information about why each animal uses that bone and why each creature needs that bone. At the end the book, there is some facts about animals without bones, or goes further into why bones are needed.
I thought this was very interesting and the pictures really caught your eye
I would use this to show students that their bones are different then animal bones and different bones in the body do different things.
I thought this was very interesting and the pictures really caught your eye
I would use this to show students that their bones are different then animal bones and different bones in the body do different things.
May 1, 2018
Awards the book has received
None
Appropriate grade level
Grade Three - Grade Six
Summary
Informational text and kid friendly book about the anatomy of the human and various animals skeletal systems. Compares many human bones to a number of animal counterparts.
Review
Easy to read and fairly interesting. The book answers many questions kids might have about the skeletal anatomy of humans - starting with the finger bone and working their way up.
In-class uses
1. Class activity to study the human body
2. Biology lesson involving other animals
None
Appropriate grade level
Grade Three - Grade Six
Summary
Informational text and kid friendly book about the anatomy of the human and various animals skeletal systems. Compares many human bones to a number of animal counterparts.
Review
Easy to read and fairly interesting. The book answers many questions kids might have about the skeletal anatomy of humans - starting with the finger bone and working their way up.
In-class uses
1. Class activity to study the human body
2. Biology lesson involving other animals
January 5, 2011
Yep. I am still blown away by his artistic ability. It's just pieces of paper ... but the way they are put together is just amazing.
And, of course, his ability to choose topics that interest kids. And write about them in a clear, concise manner.
The kids LOVE the ... what do you call them ... pull out pages? That are like quadruple page spreads? The first one is a realistic depiction of the ribs on a python. Ick.
And, of course, his ability to choose topics that interest kids. And write about them in a clear, concise manner.
The kids LOVE the ... what do you call them ... pull out pages? That are like quadruple page spreads? The first one is a realistic depiction of the ribs on a python. Ick.
October 11, 2016
An introduction to skeletons in all kinds of animals, their very basic structure and purpose.
A great resource to use when talking about skeletal systems. Jenkins put in a lot of time illustrating this one with all the little details. I just wish theoretical statements were prefaced with a clarifying word or two like "scientists think" such and such is true. Kids will think all of these things are fact, whereas just a few of his statements are up for debate.
A great resource to use when talking about skeletal systems. Jenkins put in a lot of time illustrating this one with all the little details. I just wish theoretical statements were prefaced with a clarifying word or two like "scientists think" such and such is true. Kids will think all of these things are fact, whereas just a few of his statements are up for debate.
March 7, 2020
I thought this book was interesting. At first I though it was too complex for children, given all the information thrown out, but then I realized they executed it in a good way. By using a vast amount of color, and images the illustrator creates a fun, interesting book for children. Learning about bones isn't very fun, but if I was a kid, a book like this would definitely the way to keep me interested in the topic.
February 18, 2021
What really stood out to me in this book was the illustrations. The illustrations are very attention catching and interesting. I would recommend this book because it can teach children a lot about bones and still entertain them at the same time. I think this is an important book to read because I don’t think children know much about bones and how their skeletons look like so they can learn a lot from it.
August 13, 2010
Interesting, but not my favorite Steve Jenkins work. It does have some very cool facts and pictures, though. My favorite was of all of the ribs of a python.
Also,you should know that this one has several fold-out pages (5 or 6 I think?) so it may end up with a lot of wear and tear. Of course, kids love fold-out pages, so this is more a problem for parents/teachers/librarians.
Also,you should know that this one has several fold-out pages (5 or 6 I think?) so it may end up with a lot of wear and tear. Of course, kids love fold-out pages, so this is more a problem for parents/teachers/librarians.
October 21, 2010
I don't want to give this 5 stars since I'm highly selective in that honor, but if I could give this in decimals it would rate a 4.75. This is the sort of amazing kids nonfiction that shows what the genre can do in the hands of a truly gifted author. Fabulous art PLUS a text that is informative and fun, especially the snarky headings!
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