Jenkins, Steve. 2010. Bones: Skeletons and How They Work. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780545046510

Topic Summary

Steve Jenkins brings skeletons to life in this nonfiction survey book about bones. From arm bones to ear bones, fruit bat to velociraptor, this book takes you on a journey to learn about how bones are adapted to their purposes, comparing sizes and functions. If you've ever wondered how many bones are in the human skeleton, or what the bones of a dolphin and a dog have in common, this is the book for you!

Critical Analysis

As a survey book about bones, this seems to be an accurate representation. There was no bibliography given, though the author does thank the consulting work of the collections manager of the Department of Mammalogy at the American Museum of Natural History. One of the indicators that give it a greater likelihood of accuracy is that Jenkins notes on each page how the illustrations are proportional. For example, for the spread showing the complete set of human bones, it is noted that the bones are shown at one-fourth actual size. Yet when showcasing the human hand on its own, Jenkins indicates that it is shown at actual size. In addition to giving the reader a better sense of the actual size of the bones, it gives the impression that he was being very deliberate about accuracy in this book.

The organization of Bones is somewhat haphazard. There is no index or table of contents, and the book sometimes seems to jump from topic to topic without a clear indication of structure. The middle of the book goes from joints to symmetry to jumping. But since this is a short, illustration-dominated book, it doesn't detract that much from the overall impact.

For me, it is the illustrations that make this book so alluring. Each page has a different dark, but bold, color background to highlight the simple-but-accurate bone illustrations. There is contrasting white text on each page, both to inform about the topic of the page, as well as to label each bone or animal. The simplicity of it really helps to bring the attention to what it should--the bones. When you have a whole spread of skulls, from human to mouse lemur, that are drawn actual size, it creates an intriguing and curiosity-inspiring inquisitiveness that may well serve as a spring board for the reader to want to further research any or all of the animals featured in this book!

Professional Praise

From School Library Journal: "With applications that range from anatomy to evolution and mathematics, this book will find a place in every collection."

From Booklist: "One of the foremost illuminators of the animal kingdom here takes a peek beneath the skin. . . . Clean design of the intricate skeletons set against solid background colors is striking and provides a wonderful visual introduction to what keeps us all upright."

Connections

If you love Steve Jenkins' style, check out some of his other awesome books!

Actual Size (2011) ISBN 978-0547512914

Biggest, Strongest, Fastest (1997) ISBN 978-0395861363

Just a Second (2011) ISBN 978-0618708963

Or if you have some students who want to learn more about the skeletal system, you might want to check out these resources:

Bones: Our Skeletal System, by Seymour Simon (2000) ISBN 978-0688177218