LS 5603 - Genre 4- BONES

Simon, Seymour. 1998. BONES. Morrow Junior Books. New York.

ACCURACY
Seymour Simon is the author of over 250 science related books. He has an excellent reputation and has received a lifetime achievement award for his work. The illustrations and text are accurate.

ORGANIZATION
The book starts discussing generally about bones and then moves onto specific bones and their purpose. There is mention of how the bones work with the tendons and muscles. There is not a table of contents or index but there are captions for the illustrations.

DESIGN
The graphics are a combination of: photographs, x-rays, magnified images, models and drawings. They are placed with supporting text. The design is appropriate to the text.

STYLE
The text is very informative. It is not written to “speak” above the reader bur it focused to fourth graders and above. There is just enough information to encourage the reader to discover more interesting facts about the human body or a more intensive look at bones. The author clearly enjoys and has a passion for science and wants to share that passion with his readers.


AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children ( NSTA/CBC)
Positive Reviews
Children’s Literature
Asimov’s Science Fiction
School Library Journal
ALA Booklist

CONNECTIONS
I would use this book along with the others in the series in a unit about the body. The design lends itself easily to open discussion. This in turn could lead into a discussion of how to keep our bodies healthy which could include the school nurse, the cafeteria manager and the physical education teacher.