The Skeletal System : Nonfiction Nuggets

Without skeletons, vertebrates would just be a pile of mush! The books highlighted below are sure to pique children and teens’ interest as they explore the skeletal system. Featuring stunning illustrations, pull out posters and a wealth of facts, these books are a must-have as students inquire into both human and animal skeletons.

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The Skeleton Inside You

by Philip Balestrino (author) and True Kelley (illustrator)

Review: This informative book introduces skeletons and bones to young children in an easy to understand manner. Explaining that a sofa or marionette, for example, has a “skeleton” helps children to see the role that the skeleton plays in supporting the human body. Terms such as cartilage and ligaments are introduced and clearly explained. Children learn how bones change as they grow older and that a bone can heal itself after it is broken, for example. Featuring a jovial, tap dancing skeleton, this book is a super first step in learning about the skeletal system.

Suggested Reading Age: 4- 8 years

Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tip: Bone Factory: Make some bones by cutting up pieces of sponge to represent the core of the bone. Next, stuff these into toilet roll tubes. Then, paint the outside of the tubes. Students could make different sized bones to represent different parts of the skeleton, femur, etc.

Book of Bones: 10 Record-Breaking Animals

by Gabrielle Balkan (author) and Sam Brewster (illustrator)

Review: Read this book to discover which animal has the most bones or the heaviest bone or even the fastest-growing bone of them all! Readers are helped to work out the answer to each record-breaking fact with a series of guiding questions accompanied by a striking white on black drawing of the animal’s skeleton. The ensuing pages show the animal in its habitat and, excitingly, the animal’s skeleton can be felt when you run your hands across the picture, helping children see how the skeleton relates to its external form. This unique book is sure to be a talking point and draw its readers in.

Suggested Reading Age: 4 – 9 years

Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tip: Record-breaking questions: Students brainstorm some more questions to do with animal skeletons and bones and try to answer them.

Craft activity: Inspired by the drawings in the book, students draw animals’ skeletons using Elmer’s glue (or any clear drying glue) on stiff paper. On a piece of tracing paper or thin drawing paper, they then draw and paint the scene of the animal’s habitat. Once finished, stick this on top of the Elmer’s glue skeleton to feel the skeleton underneath.

The Skeleton Book: Get to know your bones, inside out

by Robert Winston

Review: This book offers a fascinating insight into all things bone and skeleton related. Full of amazing facts and large format 3D illustrations, “The Skeleton Book” is a treat for inquiring minds. Readers will learn about bones’ vital role in making blood cells and in protecting organs, for example; the “Do Try This at Home” sections lend a further nice interactive element. Finally, the show-stopping, door size (5ft), pull out skeleton is an absolute winner and talking point. A must-have book!

Suggested Reading Age: 8 – 12. In my opinion, this would appeal to older readers, too.

Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tip: The Fact Skeleton: Students create a paper skeleton made up of all 206 individual bones. Challenge: can they find one fact about bones or skeletal systems to write on each bone?!

Bones: An Inside Look at the Animal Kingdom

by Jules Howard (author) and Chervelle Fryer (illustrator)

Review: This beautifully illustrated book highlights how animals’ skeletons have evolved and adapted over time to enable them to perform different tasks. Split into different sections, including biting and jaws, grasping and claws, holding weight and jumping, each section takes a close look at three different animals. These include some perennial favourites, such as the giant panda and emperor penguin and species that may be less familiar, such as the pink fairy armadillo and the common flying dragon. Gorgeous end pages featuring all of the skeletons quickly invite readers in.

Suggested Reading Age: 7 – 10 years. In my opinion, younger children fascinated by animals would also enjoy looking at the skeletons as would older readers!

Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tip: Students research into one of their favourite animals. See if they can find in what way(s) the animal has evolved and adapted. Have a go at drawing the skeleton. Art link: this book would also be a great resource for students learning how to draw animals as they study form.

Anatomicum

by Jennifer Paxton

Review: What a gorgeous introduction to the world of anatomy! Full of stunning, hand-drawn, sepia-toned, illustrations of the human body, children (and adults!) can spend hours poring over the pictures alone. Part of the “Welcome to the Museum” series, the book is presented in the format of galleries to visit, with each gallery having a different focus. Having passed through the “Entrance”, galleries include, The Musculoskeletal System, The Immune and Lymphatic Systems and The Digestive and Urinary Systems. The accompanying text introduces and explains each system in an easy to understand manner. Anatomicum is a visual treat and is highly recommended to stimulate further inquiry and interest in our bodies.

Suggested Reading Age: 8 – 12 years, but would also appeal to older readers.

Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tip: Students create sepia-toned illustrations of parts of the human body they are learning about. They could do this using ink or brown colouring pencils. This would work well on cream coloured paper which students could age using tea or coffee. The drawings in Leonardo Da Vinci’s diaries could also provide a source of inspiration.