PICTURE BOOK REVIEWS : Skulls! / Give Me Back My Bones!
ABOUT THE BOOK
Debut picture book author Blair Thornburgh and award-winning illustrator Scott Campbell put their heads together to celebrate one of the most important bones in your body: the skull!
You probably don’t think much about skulls.
So what’s the big deal about them?
Well, every head
of every person
you’ve ever seen
has a skull inside.
And that includes YOU!
This smart, skull-positive story cheerfully dispels any fears kids might have about their skeletons, flipping our view of skulls from a spooky symbol to a fascinating, cool, and crucial part of our bodies.
REVIEW
Skulls have long been used to frighten people. But in this delightful new book, Blair Thornburgh and Scott Campbell show readers why skulls don't need to be frightening and in fact are vitally important. "Skulls give your face a good shape. Skulls let your jaws snap. Skulls hold your teeth in place... until they don't" explains the book. The book explains in beautiful simplicity why readers should appreciate their skulls. The fun illustrations help create an atmosphere of learning and excitement rather than fear, alternating faces with skulls. This gives the reader a chance to see visually why skulls are important and how they make our lives possible. This book provides a great introduction to the importance of the human skull and why it needs to be taken care of. A great teaching resource for those who want to help children understand their bodies better.
ABOUT THE BOOK
A silly pirate skeleton seeks to put its bones back together in this rhyming romp beneath the waves.
Cast a spyglass 'round here
while breakers curl and pound here.
There's treasure to be found here --
I feel it in my bones!
A stormy night at sea has uncovered some long-buried secrets and surprises. Is that the mast of a shipwreck? A faded pirate hat? And what's that hiding in the sand? A mandible and a clavicle, phalanges and femurs, a tibia and a fibula -- could there be a set of bones scattered across the ocean floor? And who might they belong to? A jaunty rhyme takes readers on an underwater scavenger hunt as a comical skeleton tries to put itself back together piece by piece. Make no bones about it: this rollicking read-aloud will have young ones learning anatomy without even realizing it.
REVIEW
Using clever word-play and delightful illustrations, this book helps readers learn about some of the important bones in the body. A pirate skeleton travels under the ocean looking for his missing bones. The fun chanting phrases are mixed in with the actual names of the bones allowing readers/listeners to learn some of the 206 bones of the body while enjoying this tale of a pirate who is determined to put himself back together before setting off to find his treasure. The bones are not exactly hidden in the illustrations but they blend in enough to provide a fun search-and-find activity for younger children. The cover of the book can be turned over to reveal a poster showing the skeleton and his bones clearly labeled. The book makes for an excellent teaching tool, but works just as well as a fun read aloud. The story and vocabulary mix together for a delightful blend of fun and learning.
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