The Amazing Bone (Caldecott Honor Book)

by William Steig, William Steig (Illustrator)

Overview

CALDECOTT HONOR BOOK

The Amazing Bone tells the story of Pearl, a pig, who forms a friendship with a talking bone in this timeless picture book by William Steig, the Caldecott and Newbery Medal-winning creator of Shrek!.

It's a bright and beautiful spring day, and Pearl, a pig, is dawdling on her way home from school. Most unexpectedly, she strikes up an acquaintance with a small bone. Pearl and the bone immediately take a liking to each other, and before you know it she is on her way home with the bone in her purse, left open so they can continue their conversation.

But the trip home turns out to be surprisingly treacherous. Can a pig and a talking bone outwit a band of robbers and a hungry fox? In the world of William Steig, anything is possible.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781466808430
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	07/30/2013
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	35 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

William Steig (1907-2003) was a cartoonist, illustrator and author of award-winning books for children, including Shrek!, on which the DreamWorks movies are based. Steig was born in New York City. Every member of his family was involved in the arts, and so it was no surprise when he decided to become an artist. He attended City College and the National Academy of Design. In 1930, Steig’s work began appearing in The New Yorker, where his drawings have been a popular fixture ever since. He published his first children's book, Roland the Minstrel Pig, in 1968. In 1970, Steig received the Caldecott Medal for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. His books for children also include Dominic; The Real Thief; The Amazing Bone, a Caldecott Honor Book; Amos&Boris, a National Book Award finalist; and Abel's Island and Doctor De Soto, both Newbery Honor Books. Steig's books have also received the Christopher Award, the Irma Simonton Black Award, the William Allen White Children's Book Award, and the American Book Award. His European awards include the Premio di Letteratura per l'infanzia (Italy), the Silver Pencil Award (the Netherlands), and the Prix de la Fondation de France. On the basis of his entire body of work, Steig was selected as the 1982 U.S. candidate for the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for Illustration and subsequently as the 1988 U.S. candidate for Writing. Steig also published thirteen collections of drawings for adults, beginning with About People in 1939, and including The Lonely Ones, Male/Female, The Agony in the Kindergarten, and Our Miserable Life. He died in Boston at the age of 95.
William Steig (1907-2003) was a cartoonist, illustrator and author of award-winning books for children, including Shrek!, on which the DreamWorks movies are based. Steig was born in New York City. Every member of his family was involved in the arts, and so it was no surprise when he decided to become an artist. He attended City College and the National Academy of Design. In 1930, Steig’s work began appearing in The New Yorker, where his drawings have been a popular fixture ever since. He published his first children's book, Roland the Minstrel Pig, in 1968. In 1970, Steig received the Caldecott Medal for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. His books for children also include Dominic; The Real Thief; The Amazing Bone, a Caldecott Honor Book; Amos&Boris, a National Book Award finalist; and Abel's Island and Doctor De Soto, both Newbery Honor Books. Steig's books have also received the Christopher Award, the Irma Simonton Black Award, the William Allen White Children's Book Award, and the American Book Award. His European awards include the Premio di Letteratura per l'infanzia (Italy), the Silver Pencil Award (the Netherlands), and the Prix de la Fondation de France. On the basis of his entire body of work, Steig was selected as the 1982 U.S. candidate for the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for Illustration and subsequently as the 1988 U.S. candidate for Writing. Steig also published thirteen collections of drawings for adults, beginning with About People in 1939, and including The Lonely Ones, Male/Female, The Agony in the Kindergarten, and Our Miserable Life. He died in Boston at the age of 95.

Reading Group Guide

When I Grow Up
On her way home from school, Pearl observes the grownups in town and thinks about her life as an adult. Ask students to consider their possible future jobs, and to write and illustrate a story describing the reasons for their choices. A career day can also be held in the classroom to introduce students to new possibilities.

Friends Forever
Discuss the unusual friendship between Pearl and the bone. Ask students to list traits possessed by the bone that are conducive to forming a friendship with Pearl. Students may suggest ideas such as loyalty, kindness, cleverness, sense of humor, and sharing a love of music. Then have students write about their own best friend, describing the basis of their friendship and the activities they enjoy doing together.
Language Learning
Pearl's amazing bone can speak in any language. Ask students if they, too, are multilingual and provide an opportunity for students to demonstrate their language skills to their classmates. Then encourage students to learn a few words in a new language.
Solving Problems
The amazing bone is a resourceful character who succeeds in rescuing Pearl from two terrible predicaments. Ask students to suggest alternative solutions for Pearl's dilemmas. Then ask them to discuss their own experiences with solving difficult problems. Students can work in small groups to help their classmates resolve current issues in their lives. In addition, students can compare and contrast problem-solving techniques as they read other books in which characters cleverly resolve problems
(including Steig's Doctor De Soto).