From Our Library: A Book List for Studying Bones

Bones are fascinating to study because they come directly from the insides of creatures – the very parts we never really expect to see! Their shape and structure speaks volumes about the body function and general habits of the creatures whose skeletons they compose. Simple bone studies can be done easily, and the titles included here offer a rich look at the bones of living things of all kinds.

Not meant to be exhaustive, this book list simply includes all of the relevant titles currently found within the library of our community-based education network affiliate, Dirigo Learning. Download the accompanying guide for further detail, including genre, age range, and book style for teach title as well as short descriptions of each text.

Human Body

Bones, Steve Jenkins
Bone by Bone, Sara Levine
The Bones & Skeleton Book, Stephen Cumba

Animal Bodies

The Skeleton Book: An Inside Look at Animals, Madeleine Levaudais
Eyewitness: Skeleton, Steve Parker
Antlers Forever!, Frances Bloxa
What Big Teeth You Have!, Patricia Lauber
What’s Inside?: Small Animals, Angela Royston

Bone Collecting

Jake’s Bones: World’s Youngest Bone Collector, Jake McGowan-Lowe
Cabinet of Curiosities: Collecting and Understanding the Wonders of the Natural World, Gordon Grice
I Found a Dead Bird: The Kids’ Guide to the Cycle of Life & Death, Jan Thornhill

Robin Morgan Huntley, Community-Based Education Correspondent

Robin joined Hilltown Families in 2011 as an intern and has remained with the organization ever since, first volunteering as a community-based education correspondent until 2016 and now as a contributing writer with two monthly columns. Robin is a graduate of Hampshire College and Antioch University New England, where she studied place- and community-based education. She lives on the banks of the Sheepscot River in Maine, where she and her husband are working to start a small farm. Robin teaches at Juniper Hill School for Place-Based Education and is the founder of our first affiliate community-based education network, Dirigo Learning.