5 Picture Books About Skeletons and Bones

Give Me Back My Bones, by Kim Norman and illustrated by Bob Kolar
Arrr, matey, let’s talk about bones. This seaworthy picture book follows a skeleton desperate to put his body back together, as his bones have been scattered across his underwater shipwreck. A jaunty rhyme makes this scavenger hunt for the skeleton’s bones the perfect read-aloud, and young readers will learn the definitions of the different bones: mandibles, clavicles, phalanges, femurs, and so on. Grab your pirate hat and get ready to read this one before bed again and again.

Book of Bones, by Gabrielle Balkan
Gabrielle Balkan’s Book of Bones, which highlights ten record-breaking animal bones, is the kind of guide I would have been obsessed with as a child. With large illustrations accessible to younger readers and more detailed paragraphs for the older kids, large skeletons are presented without the animal label. Readers are encouraged to guess what animal the record-breaking skeleton belongs to, followed by a page of fun facts about that animal. With gorgeous illustrations, Book of Bones is a beautiful book to keep on your coffee table that’s utterly kid-friendly.

Skulls!, by Blair Thornburgh and illustrated by Scott Campbell
For a child who daydreamed about decorating her bedroom with Halloween skulls—and as an adult who would consider it an excellent aesthetic decision—Skulls! is a treat. Taking skulls from creepy to fascinating (as they rightfully should be), Skulls! honors what makes up your head in a delightful readaloud. It’s the illustrations that put this fun book over the top. Each skull seems to carry their own personality, meaning each page will leave readers itching to draw a skull of their own.

Who Owns These Bones?, by Henri Cap, Raphael Martin and Renaud Vigourt
The only thing better than a picture book is a lift-the-flap picture book. Can you and your kiddo figure out the animals that these books belong to? Much like Balkan’s Book of Bones, Who Owns These Bones? compares bones to the animals they belong to—but while Book of Bones focuses on record-breakers, Who Owns These Bones? just explores fascinating skeletons. You’ll also learn how to tell a gorilla from a human, to recognize a turtle from its shell, and more.

Bones: Skeletons & How They Work, by Steven Jenkins
The good thing about bones is that they don’t change much. If you’re looking for an easily accessible backlist title about books, you’ll want to snag up Steven Jenkins’ Bones: Skeletons & How They Work. The Caldecott Honor winner compares the bones of the human body to the bones of animals (from spider monkeys to storks) with strong visual illustrations to help young learners.