Dem Bones

Can you believe this is currently Koko and Cheeky's favorite book? Bare Bones by Elise Richards was a thrift store find that I purchased when Koko was a toddler. I had placed it in a special shelf reserved for books that I would give them in the future, but somehow Koko got her hands on it.

"This is not real, right?" she asked.

I knew she was thinking of Halloween skeleton decor which I had always reassured her were not real and I answered, "Well, we all have skeletons so yes, it's real." So began her morbid fascination of skeletons.

Obviously, we don't have the glow-in-the-dark skeleton model that accompanies this book, but still this is a kid-friendly and informative book on skeletons. I wouldn't recommend that you purchase this book, but keep your eye out for bony books in the thrift store. Cheeky brings it to me excitedly every day and says, "Dem bones" because on the last page, it has the lyrics to the Dry Bones song.

This is such a popular song, I think I won't be violating copyright rules to post them.

Dry Bones

The foot bone is connected to the leg bone,
The leg bone is connected to the knee bone,
The knee bone is connected to the thigh bone,
The thigh bone is connected to the back bone,
The back bone is connected to the neck bone,
The neck bone is connected to the head bone...
Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk aroun'!

While this song is not a comprehensive study on bones, this bone song is super brainy!
And while we're on the subject of skeletons, Shannon and I agree that this is a great puzzle! Finally, consider showing your kids the bones of a fish. Kim from Starry Sky Ranch once bought a fish for the purpose of dissection. Dried anchovies are a Korean staple so I when I was removing all the innards, I showed the skeleton to Koko and she was amazed.

Edited to add: 9/14/09
Koko and Cheeky also like The Skeleton Inside You (from the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series) but just to let you know, there are a few Halloween references.