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Funnybones
Funnybones
A special edition of this classic picture book to celebrate its 40th anniversary - with a glow-in-the-dark cover!
In the first ever Funnybones book, we are introduced to the wonderful humour and fun of the much-loved series.
The Funnybones books are a must for children just starting to learn to read - these funny skeletons are definitely not the scary sort!
Allan Ahlberg has published over 100 children's books and with his late wife Janet, created many award-winning children's picture books.
The Ahlbergs' books are nursery bookshelf standards and have been the recipient of worldwide acclaim and awards, including the Kate Greenaway Medal.
__________
Look out for these other classics by Allan Ahlberg:
Burglar Bill; Cops and Robbers; Each Peach Pear Plum; The One and Only Two Heads; Son of a Gun; The Little Worm Book; Two Wheels Two Heads; The Baby's Catalogue; A Pair of Sinners; Happy Families; Peepo!; The Ha Ha Bonk Book; Help Your Child to Read; Ten in a Bed; Please mrs Butler; Daisy Chains; Yum Yum; Playmates; Foldaways; Woof; The Cinderella Show; The Jolly Postman; The Jolly Christmas Postman; The Jolly Pocket Postman; The Clothes Horse and Other Stories; The Mighty Slide; Starting School; Heard it in the Playground; The Bear Nobody Wanted; It was a Dark and Stormy Night; The Giant Baby; Baby Sleeps; Blue Buggy; Doll and Teddy; See the Rabbit; Please Mrs Butler; The Better Brown Stories; The Boyhood of Burglar Bill
In the first ever Funnybones book, we are introduced to the wonderful humour and fun of the much-loved series.
The Funnybones books are a must for children just starting to learn to read - these funny skeletons are definitely not the scary sort!
Allan Ahlberg has published over 100 children's books and with his late wife Janet, created many award-winning children's picture books.
The Ahlbergs' books are nursery bookshelf standards and have been the recipient of worldwide acclaim and awards, including the Kate Greenaway Medal.
__________
Look out for these other classics by Allan Ahlberg:
Burglar Bill; Cops and Robbers; Each Peach Pear Plum; The One and Only Two Heads; Son of a Gun; The Little Worm Book; Two Wheels Two Heads; The Baby's Catalogue; A Pair of Sinners; Happy Families; Peepo!; The Ha Ha Bonk Book; Help Your Child to Read; Ten in a Bed; Please mrs Butler; Daisy Chains; Yum Yum; Playmates; Foldaways; Woof; The Cinderella Show; The Jolly Postman; The Jolly Christmas Postman; The Jolly Pocket Postman; The Clothes Horse and Other Stories; The Mighty Slide; Starting School; Heard it in the Playground; The Bear Nobody Wanted; It was a Dark and Stormy Night; The Giant Baby; Baby Sleeps; Blue Buggy; Doll and Teddy; See the Rabbit; Please Mrs Butler; The Better Brown Stories; The Boyhood of Burglar Bill
32 pages, Paperback
Published September 30, 1999
About the author
Janet Ahlberg
91 books141 followersJanet Ahlberg (1944-1994) was a British children's book illustrator, and the co-creator, together with her husband Allan Ahlberg, of the best-selling Jolly Postman series. Born as Janet Hall in Yorkshire in 1944, she studied at Sunderland Technical College, where she met Ahlberg. The two married in 1969, and began to work together, publishing their first co-venture - The Old Joke Book - in 1976. She won the 1978 Kate Greenaway Medal from the British Library Association - an award recognizing the year's best children's book illustration by a British subject - for Each Peach Pear Plum.
Janet Ahlberg died of breast cancer in 1994, at the age of fifty, having produced many beloved and bestselling books. Her daughter with Allan Ahlberg - Jessica Ahlberg - is also a children's book creator.
Janet Ahlberg died of breast cancer in 1994, at the age of fifty, having produced many beloved and bestselling books. Her daughter with Allan Ahlberg - Jessica Ahlberg - is also a children's book creator.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 206 reviews
July 7, 2024
The husband and wife team, Allan and Janet Ahlberg, have produced numerous picture books. Allan Ahlberg has over a hundred to his name, and Janet Ahlberg has illustrated many of them. Funnybones is one of the best, and as so often, it is a simple idea which is the key.
"This is how the story begins.
On a dark dark hill
there was a dark dark town.
In the dark, dark town
there was a dark, dark street.
In the dark, dark street
there was a dark, dark house.
In the dark, dark house there was a dark, dark staircase.
Down the dark, dark staircase
there was a dark, dark cellar.
And in the dark dark cellar ..."
(pause dramatically for the page-turn ...)
" ... some skeletons lived!"
Simply brilliant - even starting with the words "This is how the story begins... "
And with this atmosphere, any five year old will be completely enthralled by now. It even carries on in a way which reflects story books of old:
"There was a big skeleton, a little skeleton and a dog skeleton."
Needless to say, the skeletons are cute, and not scary at all as they peep around the door and wave in a friendly fashion. The illustrations are comic and cartoonish, complete with occasional brief speech bubbles, which move the story along and add to the sense of the story. All the colours are bright, which contrasts well with the black background which is used throughout. The text too is printed in white on black, which adds to the dramatic "spooky yet fun" feel.
One night the skeletons decide to take their dog for a walk and frighten somebody. That's what skeletons are supposed to do, right? So off they go.
They have a good game in the park, and play on the swings, but as the dog skeleton is chasing a stick, he bumps into a tree and falls apart. Calamity! He's now just a pile of bones! The big skeleton and the little skeleton do their best to put him back together, but when he says ‘Woof’ it comes out all muddled. The dog skeleton is all mixed up, and his head is on the wrong way round, so he barks "FOOW"!
Eventually the big skeleton and the little skeleton do manage to put him back together, and then they all go to visit their skeleton friends at the zoo.
So did they frighten any of the animals?
What do you think? They had a lot of fun, but one picture shows the three skeletons running away from a skeleton of a crocodile ...
But everyone in the town is in bed, and in the end, they still haven’t frightened anybody. So the little skeleton suggests that they frighten each other instead.
And they do.
The story goes full circle, as the repetitive beginning is mirrored and repeated on the final page, which is very satisfying.
This book is pretty near perfect, both for children just starting to learn to read, and older ones too. Using the setting of a walk to the park and to the zoo, creates familiar situations for young children. The text is easy to read, and the repetition aids fluency. It is enhanced by the illustrations, which are as humorous and quirky as the story itself. It is very, very funny.
This first and original, Funnybones has become a classic, with many further books in the series to follow about the "Funnybones" family. In terms of fun it is unsurpassed, and also teaches about onomatopoeia with all the animal sounds such as "oink", "woof", "miaow" - and "boo!" It is also quite an achievement to not only introduce young children to the concept of having a skeleton, but also to the names of the bones - and even how a skeleton is structured. The book does this by quoting some of the lyrics of "The Skeleton Dance" ("Dem dry bones") as they put the dog skeleton back together again.
Allan and Janet Ahlberg have deservedly received many awards worldwide, including the Kate Greenaway Medal. This is one of my personal favourites, which can be used within school, library or home situations.
"This is how the story begins.
On a dark dark hill
there was a dark dark town.
In the dark, dark town
there was a dark, dark street.
In the dark, dark street
there was a dark, dark house.
In the dark, dark house there was a dark, dark staircase.
Down the dark, dark staircase
there was a dark, dark cellar.
And in the dark dark cellar ..."
(pause dramatically for the page-turn ...)
" ... some skeletons lived!"
Simply brilliant - even starting with the words "This is how the story begins... "
And with this atmosphere, any five year old will be completely enthralled by now. It even carries on in a way which reflects story books of old:
"There was a big skeleton, a little skeleton and a dog skeleton."
Needless to say, the skeletons are cute, and not scary at all as they peep around the door and wave in a friendly fashion. The illustrations are comic and cartoonish, complete with occasional brief speech bubbles, which move the story along and add to the sense of the story. All the colours are bright, which contrasts well with the black background which is used throughout. The text too is printed in white on black, which adds to the dramatic "spooky yet fun" feel.
One night the skeletons decide to take their dog for a walk and frighten somebody. That's what skeletons are supposed to do, right? So off they go.
They have a good game in the park, and play on the swings, but as the dog skeleton is chasing a stick, he bumps into a tree and falls apart. Calamity! He's now just a pile of bones! The big skeleton and the little skeleton do their best to put him back together, but when he says ‘Woof’ it comes out all muddled. The dog skeleton is all mixed up, and his head is on the wrong way round, so he barks "FOOW"!
Eventually the big skeleton and the little skeleton do manage to put him back together, and then they all go to visit their skeleton friends at the zoo.
So did they frighten any of the animals?
What do you think? They had a lot of fun, but one picture shows the three skeletons running away from a skeleton of a crocodile ...
But everyone in the town is in bed, and in the end, they still haven’t frightened anybody. So the little skeleton suggests that they frighten each other instead.
And they do.
The story goes full circle, as the repetitive beginning is mirrored and repeated on the final page, which is very satisfying.
This book is pretty near perfect, both for children just starting to learn to read, and older ones too. Using the setting of a walk to the park and to the zoo, creates familiar situations for young children. The text is easy to read, and the repetition aids fluency. It is enhanced by the illustrations, which are as humorous and quirky as the story itself. It is very, very funny.
This first and original, Funnybones has become a classic, with many further books in the series to follow about the "Funnybones" family. In terms of fun it is unsurpassed, and also teaches about onomatopoeia with all the animal sounds such as "oink", "woof", "miaow" - and "boo!" It is also quite an achievement to not only introduce young children to the concept of having a skeleton, but also to the names of the bones - and even how a skeleton is structured. The book does this by quoting some of the lyrics of "The Skeleton Dance" ("Dem dry bones") as they put the dog skeleton back together again.
Allan and Janet Ahlberg have deservedly received many awards worldwide, including the Kate Greenaway Medal. This is one of my personal favourites, which can be used within school, library or home situations.
October 3, 2024
"Funny Bones" we are taught to call our elbows if they're bumped. I did it this morning. I called out "Funny Bone" and the pain soon fox trotted off. Some rituals are worth not forgetting. They're the spells, like kisses, which work.
This book called Funny Bones teaches anticipation. That's different from waiting which is dull. Yet how many times have we as parents asked children to wait or told them to do it in no uncertain terms? If I had a nickel for every time, I'd be rich. And I hate waiting but love anticipation. Carly Simon sums it up fine when she sings "We can never know about the days to come/But we think about them anyway." Children think, too. Lots. Their days are longer than ours with so much that's new. This book will help them through those hours.
Mine recited passages and their own versions like prayers over time. During car journeys lasting days and walks they thought were long, one would start with the words "In a dark dark street there was a dark dark house." The other would follow. They made up their own lines. They learned the power of words. They learned that the unknown can even be fun.
This book called Funny Bones teaches anticipation. That's different from waiting which is dull. Yet how many times have we as parents asked children to wait or told them to do it in no uncertain terms? If I had a nickel for every time, I'd be rich. And I hate waiting but love anticipation. Carly Simon sums it up fine when she sings "We can never know about the days to come/But we think about them anyway." Children think, too. Lots. Their days are longer than ours with so much that's new. This book will help them through those hours.
Mine recited passages and their own versions like prayers over time. During car journeys lasting days and walks they thought were long, one would start with the words "In a dark dark street there was a dark dark house." The other would follow. They made up their own lines. They learned the power of words. They learned that the unknown can even be fun.
September 28, 2021
Most of the recent additions to my daughter's book collection are mainly consisting of favourites from my own childhood that I've wanted to revisit.
It was actually really surprising how much all of it came flooding back once I started reading the first page.
It's such a fun quirky tale as both big and little skeleton decided to see if they can scare someone whilst taking dog skeleton for a night time walk.
Told in such a humorous and charming way with repetitive rhythms and funny illustrations, it's easy to see why it made such a lasting impression on me.
Hopefully it will become one of my daughters favourites too!
It was actually really surprising how much all of it came flooding back once I started reading the first page.
It's such a fun quirky tale as both big and little skeleton decided to see if they can scare someone whilst taking dog skeleton for a night time walk.
Told in such a humorous and charming way with repetitive rhythms and funny illustrations, it's easy to see why it made such a lasting impression on me.
Hopefully it will become one of my daughters favourites too!
November 27, 2020
This is so freaking cute and funny 👍
I love this family!
The dog skeleton is so cute!
I love this family!
The dog skeleton is so cute!
November 28, 2012
"On a dark, dark hill, there was a dark, dark town. In the dark, dark town, there was a dark, dark street. On the dark, dark street, there was a dark, dark house. In the dark, dark house, there was a dark, dark staircase. Down the dark, dark staircase, there was a dark, dark cellar. And in the dark, dark cellar, some skeletons lived."
This is how Funnybones starts, and is probably one of the most recognisable beginnings to any story. I remembered reading this book when I was young, and am so glad to have picked it up again through reading it with a child in my class. The simple story of two skeletons and their skeletal dog on an adventure through their town at night is charming and funny. They are looking for someone to scare, but find nobody and resort to giving each other a fright instead! They even encounter a zoo full of skeletal animals on their way.
The lovely illustrations enhance the story, and the repetition throughout the book makes it perfect for early readers. It is a great book to develop children's skills in expressive reading, i.e. they can practise their use of tone to set the atmosphere when reading the first part I mentioned above. As the skeletons sing a song about different bones being connected, it would make a nice link to KS1 Science learning about the bones in the body. A really enjoyable book as I would expect from Janet and Allan Ahlberg.
This is how Funnybones starts, and is probably one of the most recognisable beginnings to any story. I remembered reading this book when I was young, and am so glad to have picked it up again through reading it with a child in my class. The simple story of two skeletons and their skeletal dog on an adventure through their town at night is charming and funny. They are looking for someone to scare, but find nobody and resort to giving each other a fright instead! They even encounter a zoo full of skeletal animals on their way.
The lovely illustrations enhance the story, and the repetition throughout the book makes it perfect for early readers. It is a great book to develop children's skills in expressive reading, i.e. they can practise their use of tone to set the atmosphere when reading the first part I mentioned above. As the skeletons sing a song about different bones being connected, it would make a nice link to KS1 Science learning about the bones in the body. A really enjoyable book as I would expect from Janet and Allan Ahlberg.
November 5, 2023
Bildes un koncepts forši, bet teksts tik lielu sajūsmu neizraisīja.
October 1, 2022
unironically one of the best books I've ever read. beginning, climax, solution. beautiful father and son relationship. Memento mori. a SKELETON DOG!!! need I type out anymore???
August 9, 2011
The story begins with lines that we are all familiar with. ‘On a dark dark hill there was a dark dark town. In the dark dark town there was a dark dark street…’
The series centre around the characters big skeleton, small skeleton and dog skeleton, and in the first of this series, ‘Funnybones’, we follow the characters as they decide to go out at night to ‘frighten somebody’. They find themselves in the park where they play. After throwing a stick for dog skeleton they find he has ended up as a pile of bones after bumping into a tree. After deciding to put dog back together, and singing a famous song about bones as they do, they get the bones mixed up. After finally putting dog back together they remember the purpose of the night was to frighten somebody, but by this time everyone else was in bed! Only one thing left to do…frighten eachother all the way home.
This picture book series has good grammatical content making it a great support for home school reading for KS1 children.
The series centre around the characters big skeleton, small skeleton and dog skeleton, and in the first of this series, ‘Funnybones’, we follow the characters as they decide to go out at night to ‘frighten somebody’. They find themselves in the park where they play. After throwing a stick for dog skeleton they find he has ended up as a pile of bones after bumping into a tree. After deciding to put dog back together, and singing a famous song about bones as they do, they get the bones mixed up. After finally putting dog back together they remember the purpose of the night was to frighten somebody, but by this time everyone else was in bed! Only one thing left to do…frighten eachother all the way home.
This picture book series has good grammatical content making it a great support for home school reading for KS1 children.
October 24, 2018
Neat book with lots of repetition, onomatopoeia, dialogue, and opportunities to discuss expression and tone. Are the children scared when they hear the story? Why? Why not? Are the illustrations scary? Why? Why not? Would they want to meet the skeletons? Why? Why not?
Humorous intro for KS1 into the human skeleton and how our bones are connected. Including the skeleton song!
Humorous intro for KS1 into the human skeleton and how our bones are connected. Including the skeleton song!
June 13, 2024
I've read the french edition entitled "Les Bizardos" and revisiting this childhood favorite was just fantastic. It's one of my favorite children stories!!!!
Read
January 21, 2019I remember reading this as a child. “In a dark dark town.. there was a dark dark street...”
September 12, 2023
This is a kid's book my husband showed me because he thought I might like it. Of course I was interested. Not only does it feature skeletons, which I love, but the cover glows in the dark!
And I really enjoyed it.
The skeleton family consists of an adult, a kid, and a dog. They live in a basement and decide to go for a walk one night. It's really all harmless fun that does have a bit of a creepy edge. I mean, they're skeletons. 😅
It's a lot of fun and it's going on my keeper shelf.
And I really enjoyed it.
The skeleton family consists of an adult, a kid, and a dog. They live in a basement and decide to go for a walk one night. It's really all harmless fun that does have a bit of a creepy edge. I mean, they're skeletons. 😅
It's a lot of fun and it's going on my keeper shelf.
October 5, 2024
There are no more perfect books to read than these to your children in October, the nostalgia that they bring and the joy that my daughter gets from them is amazing and there is nothing better than reading On a dark, dark hill, there was a dark, dark town. In the dark, dark town, there was a dark, dark street. On the dark, dark street, there was a dark, dark house. In the dark, dark house, there was a dark, dark staircase. Down the dark, dark staircase, there was a dark, dark cellar. And in the dark, dark cellar, some skeletons lived
January 10, 2024
1 ⭐️ removed due to inaccurate skeletal depictions
November 3, 2013
"On a dark, dark hill, there was a dark, dark town. In the dark, dark town, there was a dark, dark street. On the dark, dark street, there was a dark, dark house. In the dark, dark house, there was a dark, dark staircase. Down the dark, dark staircase, there was a dark, dark cellar. And in the dark, dark cellar, some skeletons lived.” This is how the story of Funnybones begins. The story involves three skeletons, a big skeleton, a little skeleton and a dog skeleton. They are however, very friendly skeletons and they enjoy having fun together. One night when they are all tucked up in bed, feeling a little bored, they decided to embark on an adventure. Between the three of them, they come up with a plan that they want to scare somebody! They set off into the night and first of all decide to go to the park. Big skeleton and little skeleton enjoy a push on the swings and they throw a stick for dog skeleton. Dog skeleton runs so quickly after the stick and unfortunately ends up bumping into a tree with a great big crash and ends up in a pile of bones. It’s now up to big skeleton and little skeleton to piece him back together again bone by bone! This is quite a time consuming task for the two of them and dog skeleton’s body ends up slightly higgledy piggledy to say the least. Eventually, dog skeleton is together in the correct formation.
During the remainder of their adventure, they take a trip to the zoo and continue to hunt for some people to scare. As the night draws on, they come to the conclusion that everyone’s in bed so they decide to scare one another!
Funnybones, is a fantastic children’s story book which is still used in literacy sessions in the classroom. It’s a perfect book for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and into the earlier years of Key Stage One. During placement within the EYFS the children have a literacy carpet session every day which consists of one core book a week. Currently, the nursery class I’m working with have been reading the Funnybones book. The class teacher reads the story aloud to the children and then uses a range of techniques to assess their learning. The vast majority of the children are able to join in with the repetitive refrains which are used throughout the book, for example, ‘on a dark, dark hill, there was a dark, dark town. In the dark, dark town, there was a dark, dark street’ etc. Both the teacher and the children additionally use actions in particular sections of the story. These are used for the characters, big skeleton, little skeleton, dog skeleton, and objects such as the swings etc. It’s a technique which includes the children in the story telling process and further encourages them to remain engaged throughout the carpet session.
The use of repetitive language and songs further add to the stories features and add a great amount of fun and laughter when the story is read aloud. Both the adults reading the text and children can join in with this. I feel that it cannot only be used as a literacy focus, but the story itself has scientific features. Children are able to extend their biological knowledge of the structure of the human skeleton. This will assist in enlarging their language vocabulary.
It was a childhood favourite of mine and it’s great to see that it’s still being used in the classroom today. Due to its cross curricular features of literacy and science, it’s definitely a core literacy text which I’d use in the classroom.
During the remainder of their adventure, they take a trip to the zoo and continue to hunt for some people to scare. As the night draws on, they come to the conclusion that everyone’s in bed so they decide to scare one another!
Funnybones, is a fantastic children’s story book which is still used in literacy sessions in the classroom. It’s a perfect book for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and into the earlier years of Key Stage One. During placement within the EYFS the children have a literacy carpet session every day which consists of one core book a week. Currently, the nursery class I’m working with have been reading the Funnybones book. The class teacher reads the story aloud to the children and then uses a range of techniques to assess their learning. The vast majority of the children are able to join in with the repetitive refrains which are used throughout the book, for example, ‘on a dark, dark hill, there was a dark, dark town. In the dark, dark town, there was a dark, dark street’ etc. Both the teacher and the children additionally use actions in particular sections of the story. These are used for the characters, big skeleton, little skeleton, dog skeleton, and objects such as the swings etc. It’s a technique which includes the children in the story telling process and further encourages them to remain engaged throughout the carpet session.
The use of repetitive language and songs further add to the stories features and add a great amount of fun and laughter when the story is read aloud. Both the adults reading the text and children can join in with this. I feel that it cannot only be used as a literacy focus, but the story itself has scientific features. Children are able to extend their biological knowledge of the structure of the human skeleton. This will assist in enlarging their language vocabulary.
It was a childhood favourite of mine and it’s great to see that it’s still being used in the classroom today. Due to its cross curricular features of literacy and science, it’s definitely a core literacy text which I’d use in the classroom.
September 19, 2011
A colourful picture book that's also fun to read.
This story tells of a night in the life (?) of two skeletons and their dog skeleton. Big skeleton and little skeleton wake up in the middle of the night with the intention of going into town to find someone to scare. Along the way, the two skeletons have lots of fun playing and singing in the park, visiting the skeleton animals and frightening each other (when they realise there is no one else to frighten), before heading back home for some rest.
The simple English and sentence structure makes it a perfect book for very young children who are just learning to read and write simple sentences.
This story tells of a night in the life (?) of two skeletons and their dog skeleton. Big skeleton and little skeleton wake up in the middle of the night with the intention of going into town to find someone to scare. Along the way, the two skeletons have lots of fun playing and singing in the park, visiting the skeleton animals and frightening each other (when they realise there is no one else to frighten), before heading back home for some rest.
The simple English and sentence structure makes it a perfect book for very young children who are just learning to read and write simple sentences.
March 8, 2020
Read with my nephew Nathaniel. Brought back great memories. Used to be a firm favourite in all my classrooms when I was a teacher.
October 15, 2020
I observed this being used in a P.E session in year 1. The children created different movements from the book to music.
May 21, 2019
Read this to my year one class as it is on the recommended reads for year one list. I remember reading this book as a child and really enjoying it so to be able to pass on the story was great. It’s included a small song which can help with parts of the body. It also had lots of animal skeletons in which I got the children to guess which animal they were - they enjoyed this. Great book, would highly recommend.
October 17, 2023
Pure classic. I recently read this to my little boy and not only was it nostalgic for me but it was a fun, enjoyable read for us both. The repetitive words allowed light hearted fun when reading and my son enjoyed the illustrations. It's simple but engaging and most of all its fun.
July 21, 2023
I read it to my young daughter - she loved the pictures, and I loved the nostalgia of the cartoon!
October 13, 2023
Bought this in Sainsbury's tonight, remember the TV show as a kid lol
May 27, 2018
So cute! I can definitely see how this has become a classic!
November 18, 2017
Few things in the world give me as much as pleasure as reading this book to my little one.
Indeed a "Good Idea" :)
Indeed a "Good Idea" :)
September 12, 2021
What a lovely story to read, I'd like to say on Halloween but my daughter like to read it every day
December 23, 2022
Als kind vond ik dit boek fantastisch en nu nog steeds! Er zitten komische details in de teksten en de tekeningen. Ondanks de thematiek is het totaal niet eng.
https://lalageleest.nl/2022/12/23/bot...
https://lalageleest.nl/2022/12/23/bot...
August 21, 2015
‘Funnybones’ by Janet and Allan Ahlberg, is the first book in the ‘Funnybones’ series. It is about three skeletons, ‘a big skeleton, a little skeleton and a dog skeleton’, who set out one night with the purpose of scaring others. During the initial stages of their adventure, they do not find anyone to scare so ‘play on the swings’, play with other skeletal animals in the zoo and throw a stick for their dog. One memorable event in the book is when the dog ends up in a heap of bones after accidentally bumping into a tree. Luckily, the other two skeletons ‘put him together again’ with the help of a skeleton song.
This book was one of my childhood favourites and still is today particularly because of the clever use of wordplay for the title. The opening of the book, ‘...On a dark dark hill/there was a dark dark town’, is also very memorable for me. It would appeal to children in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) classes as well as children in Key Stage 1 (KS1). This is because of the use of rhyme, song and use of repetitive refrains. I personally remember reading along with the teacher, when I was in primary school, due to the repetition used in the book. I have always admired the unconventional use of black and white for a child’s picture book; the white text against black background helps to create a contrast and links in with the theme of night and darkness. Also, the illustrations are very bold and colourful; they would certainly help children with inference. In addition, the use of vibrant speech bubbles for simple text would appeal to young readers.
‘Funnybones’ can be used in the classroom in several ways. In English lessons for example, children can learn to appreciate the use of rhyme, alliteration, onomatopoeia, punctuation, speech and simple sentences. Pupils could explore the beginning of the story to help them write their own creative story with a repetitive refrain. In KS1 classes, the teacher could also use the book as a point of reference to explain how speech marks are used as well as other relevant punctuation.
This book also has many potential curriculum links to Science because of the theme of skeletons and bones. In the classroom, teachers could discuss the importance of skeletons and the names of important bones. Also, the reference to ‘dark’ and ‘night’ could prompt discussions and activities about light and dark sources. Similarly, how and why we get day and night could be explored in the classroom. With reference to Art, pupils could draw and label human/animal skeletons for a class display.
An engaging, enjoyable and educational read for young readers! I would certainly recommend it.
This book was one of my childhood favourites and still is today particularly because of the clever use of wordplay for the title. The opening of the book, ‘...On a dark dark hill/there was a dark dark town’, is also very memorable for me. It would appeal to children in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) classes as well as children in Key Stage 1 (KS1). This is because of the use of rhyme, song and use of repetitive refrains. I personally remember reading along with the teacher, when I was in primary school, due to the repetition used in the book. I have always admired the unconventional use of black and white for a child’s picture book; the white text against black background helps to create a contrast and links in with the theme of night and darkness. Also, the illustrations are very bold and colourful; they would certainly help children with inference. In addition, the use of vibrant speech bubbles for simple text would appeal to young readers.
‘Funnybones’ can be used in the classroom in several ways. In English lessons for example, children can learn to appreciate the use of rhyme, alliteration, onomatopoeia, punctuation, speech and simple sentences. Pupils could explore the beginning of the story to help them write their own creative story with a repetitive refrain. In KS1 classes, the teacher could also use the book as a point of reference to explain how speech marks are used as well as other relevant punctuation.
This book also has many potential curriculum links to Science because of the theme of skeletons and bones. In the classroom, teachers could discuss the importance of skeletons and the names of important bones. Also, the reference to ‘dark’ and ‘night’ could prompt discussions and activities about light and dark sources. Similarly, how and why we get day and night could be explored in the classroom. With reference to Art, pupils could draw and label human/animal skeletons for a class display.
An engaging, enjoyable and educational read for young readers! I would certainly recommend it.
September 30, 2011
Funny bones by Janet and Allan Ahlberg is one of my most favorite childhood books!! The book is about…”a big skeleton…a little skeleton…and a dog skeleton…” one night all three were bored in bed and decided to go outside to “scare somebody”. The story goes on, the skeletons walk past the houses on the street, and the shops, and past the zoo, and past the police station and finally go to the park where they look for someone to scare!
The author uses ‘word repetition’ throughout the book to make it enjoyable to the reader and also to make it humorous. A song is also included in the book, and I remember as a child reading the book over and over again and singing along out loud!
“The toe bone’s connected to the foot bone!...
…The foot bone’s connected to the leg bone!...
…The leg bone’s connected to the hip bone!…
…The hip bone’s connected to the back bone!...”
This is a great book to be read with young children at story time. Children can join in whilst the teacher is reading the book out loud of them.
The illustrations in the book are great; I love the drawings of the skeletons!
The ending of the story also ends with a song:
“And this is how the story ends….
On a dark dark hill…
There was a dark dark town.
In the dark dark town…
There was a dark dark street.
In the dark dark street…
There was a dark dark house.
In the dark dark house…
There was a dark dark staircase.
Down the dark dark staircase…
There was a dark dark cellar.
In the dark dark cellar…
Some skeletons lived!!!...they still do. The end.”
The author uses ‘word repetition’ throughout the book to make it enjoyable to the reader and also to make it humorous. A song is also included in the book, and I remember as a child reading the book over and over again and singing along out loud!
“The toe bone’s connected to the foot bone!...
…The foot bone’s connected to the leg bone!...
…The leg bone’s connected to the hip bone!…
…The hip bone’s connected to the back bone!...”
This is a great book to be read with young children at story time. Children can join in whilst the teacher is reading the book out loud of them.
The illustrations in the book are great; I love the drawings of the skeletons!
The ending of the story also ends with a song:
“And this is how the story ends….
On a dark dark hill…
There was a dark dark town.
In the dark dark town…
There was a dark dark street.
In the dark dark street…
There was a dark dark house.
In the dark dark house…
There was a dark dark staircase.
Down the dark dark staircase…
There was a dark dark cellar.
In the dark dark cellar…
Some skeletons lived!!!...they still do. The end.”
November 5, 2012
Funnybones by Janet and Allan Ahlberg
Funnybones is a great short story that decpicts the tale of three skeletons, big skeleton, little skeleton and dog skeleton. The three skeletons go out for a night walk with the intentions of scaring some people, however they can't find anyone to scare. During the course of the walk they visit the zoo, re-assemble the dog skeleton and set about scaring each other.
When trying to re-assemble the dog skeleton the two other skeletons sing a short song to help them remember the order in which the bones are assemble. The short catchy song is a great way for the reader to learn what bones are connected to what in the body.
Repetition is used constantly throughout the text, "dark" is repeated perhaps the most, its repetition is effective as it really helps to build atmosphere and set the nightime scene. The illustration is excellent, although the narrative is set during the night, lots of bright colours are used to engage the young reader. Interestingly the font is white on a black base, this contrast is very different to standard books and makes an interesting point of difference. The contrast text also mirrors the image of the white skeletons on the black night sky.
I think that this text can be enjoyed both independently and with an adult reading. There are a number of tricky words for a young reader, such as "staircase", "cellar" and "frightened" however with assistance these can be overcome. I think that this book could be used to introduce a new sience topic, such as the human body to a young student.
Funnybones is a great short story that decpicts the tale of three skeletons, big skeleton, little skeleton and dog skeleton. The three skeletons go out for a night walk with the intentions of scaring some people, however they can't find anyone to scare. During the course of the walk they visit the zoo, re-assemble the dog skeleton and set about scaring each other.
When trying to re-assemble the dog skeleton the two other skeletons sing a short song to help them remember the order in which the bones are assemble. The short catchy song is a great way for the reader to learn what bones are connected to what in the body.
Repetition is used constantly throughout the text, "dark" is repeated perhaps the most, its repetition is effective as it really helps to build atmosphere and set the nightime scene. The illustration is excellent, although the narrative is set during the night, lots of bright colours are used to engage the young reader. Interestingly the font is white on a black base, this contrast is very different to standard books and makes an interesting point of difference. The contrast text also mirrors the image of the white skeletons on the black night sky.
I think that this text can be enjoyed both independently and with an adult reading. There are a number of tricky words for a young reader, such as "staircase", "cellar" and "frightened" however with assistance these can be overcome. I think that this book could be used to introduce a new sience topic, such as the human body to a young student.
April 27, 2012
This book is about three skeletons, the big skeleton, the little skeleton and the dog skeleton. They all lived on a dark dark hill, in a dark dark house.
The skeletons all decide to go outside to frighten somebody, but when they cannot find anyone else, they end up frightening each other. They start by throwing a stick for the dog; at this point the dog trips over a park bench. As a result the dog bumps into a tree and ends up as a file of bones. The big skeleton and the small skeleton decide to put the dog skeleton back together. Whilst doing this they sing a song.
When using this book in placement in Year 2, all children joined in and sang along. They all enjoyed singing as there were a lot of rhyming and repetition words.
The book has a lot of emphasis on the word ‘dark’, such as dark dark street...dark dark house...the effect of this is that children are able to remember this and they also get a sense of the way it has been used for effect.
I really liked the illustrations on the book, as the picture of the skeletons was on a black background with white writing.
This is a great book to use with early readers and KS1; it is a light hearted, comical read and is bound to put a smile on your face.
The skeletons all decide to go outside to frighten somebody, but when they cannot find anyone else, they end up frightening each other. They start by throwing a stick for the dog; at this point the dog trips over a park bench. As a result the dog bumps into a tree and ends up as a file of bones. The big skeleton and the small skeleton decide to put the dog skeleton back together. Whilst doing this they sing a song.
When using this book in placement in Year 2, all children joined in and sang along. They all enjoyed singing as there were a lot of rhyming and repetition words.
The book has a lot of emphasis on the word ‘dark’, such as dark dark street...dark dark house...the effect of this is that children are able to remember this and they also get a sense of the way it has been used for effect.
I really liked the illustrations on the book, as the picture of the skeletons was on a black background with white writing.
This is a great book to use with early readers and KS1; it is a light hearted, comical read and is bound to put a smile on your face.
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