What would you be if your finger bones grew so long that they reached your feet? You'd be a bat! What if you had no leg bones but kept your arm bones? You'd be a whale, a dolphin, or a porpoise! This entertaining picture book will keep readers guessing as they learn about how our skeletons are like―and unlike―those of other animals. How are you similar to animals? How are you different? These entertaining picture books from educator and veterinarian Sara Levine and illustrator T.S Spookytooth explore comparative anatomy and give readers the chance to find out how their skeletons, teeth, and eyes match up with a wide variety of animals from the past and present. Packed with surprising animal facts that will delight readers of all ages! K-Gr 2–Levine takes a unique approach to comparative anatomy. The purpose of the book is to illustrate differences between human and animal bone structures. Each page presents a question, e.g., “What kind of animal would you be if your finger bones grew so long that they reached your feet?” The answer is revealed with the turn of the page (“A bat!”). The bright, stylized, color illustrations match each question, portraying cartoon children with distorted anatomy, such as a girl with a neck like a giraffe's, or a snake with a human head. Some may find the gloppy piles of cartoon children with no bones unappetizing, while others may find the peculiar images amusing. Many of the riddlelike questions will play well in a storytime setting, allowing readers to ask a question and permitting children to imagine and participate in the answer. Bone by Bone does not have the detailed informational content or illustrative depth of Steve Parker's Skeleton (DK, 1988), but it does succeed in presenting basic structural differences among animals. This unusual book is interactive and thought-provoking, if a little gross in certain sections.–Jeffrey Meyer, Mount Pleasant Public Library, IAα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. Alongside an illustration of skin collected in goopy puddles upon the sidewalk, the author asks, “Have you ever wondered what we would look like if we didn’t have any bones?” Children will enjoy the humorous illustrations and labeled diagrams as they predict the morphing of a human skeleton, Dr. Moreau–style, into that of various animals. By adding vertebrae to a boy’s back—presto!—he has a tail. And by removing leg and arm bones, just like that he becomes a snake. The author makes a careful distinction between vertebrate and vertebrae, but adults will likely have to make further explanations to younger children. Then, with the question, “Could you be an animal if you didn’t have any bones at all?” the book switches briefly to invertebrates. With its wild, inventive, and occasionally alarming animal-human mash-ups, this works as a lighter companion to Steve Jenkins’ Bones: Skeletons and How They Work (2010). Grades K-3. --J. B. Petty "I've been longing for another kind of picture book: one that appeals to young children's wildest imagination in service of real evolutionary thinking.... Bone by Bone , by veterinarian and professor Sara Levine, fills the niche to near perfection." ― Slate "[The author's] 'what if' questions are right on target for young learners, connecting them to the subject and extending their imaginations." ― Kirkus Reviews "The bright, stylized, color illustrations match each question, portraying cartoon children with distorted anatomy, such as a girl with a neck like a giraffe's, or a snake with a human head....This unusual book is interactive and thought-provoking." ― School Library Journal Sara Levine is an assistant professor of biology at Wheelock College and a veterinarian. Her science books for children include Bone by Bone: Comparing Animal Skeletons, Tooth by Tooth: Comparing Fangs, Tusks and Chompers, and Fossil by Fossil: Comparing Dinosaur Bones. Her books have received a number of recognitions including AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books, Utah Beehive Book Award, Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year, and Cook Prize finalist for best STEM picture book. Visit Sara's website to learn about workshops she offers for children and teachers: saralevinebooks.com/ Used Book in Good Condition