More startling than any found item is an eerie sound echoing from the depths after such a weather event. In a newer release, Give Me Back My Bones! (Candlewick Press, July 16, 2019) written by Kim Norman with illustrations by Bob Kolar, a voice is requesting the return of its most prized possessions---its bones! Who or what could be creating such a commotion?A stormy night has passed here
and toppled every mast here.
The ocean, flowing fast here,
has scattered all my bones!
The first thing needed is the skull, the protector of the deliverer of thoughts and actions. Not much can be done without the jawbone attached to the skull. It makes eating and speaking much more difficult without it.
In subsequent appeals the voice is working its way from one essential bone to the next essential bone, now that the skull and mandible are in place. What might be a
handy parrot-hauler bone?
We are told it's a clavicle.
Where is the bone to which the ribs attach? Where are the bones which lift to offer protection to the face in times of danger? Where are the bones used to grasp, wave and dig?
Many more bones are desired to bring this being back to its former glory (as much as it can be as a skeleton). For mobility's sake, three particular parts must be in place. Can you guess the reason only one set of phalanges are required? For this individual now commanding critters of the sea, there is one more cherished fundamental item to be found. Ahoy, Me Hearties! All Hands Hoay!
With the boisterous beat of a rousing sea chantey, Kim Norman pens a tale of a pirate who has had the misfortune to be spread across the sandy bottom of his watery grave after a tumultuous storm. Readers will delight in the four-line poetic phrases with the next to last word in the first three rhyming and the last word in those three a repetition of the same word. The verb (action) in the final phrase refers to the first three. What makes this even more wonderful is Kim Norman gives the proper name of the sought-after bone in that fourth line. Readers will also note the use of alliteration which accentuates the cadence. Here is a passage.
Help me find my head bone,
my pillowed-on-the-bed bone,
the pirate's flag-of-dread bone---
I'm scouting out my skull.
The view at the bottom of the sea seen on the front of the matching dust jacket and book case extends over the spine and to the flap edges of the jacket. Illustrator Bob Kolar includes elements associated with a pirate or sailor, the spyglass, compass, cutlass and gold ring hanging on the letter S. Readers will enjoy looking at the variety of fish, and the crab and jellyfish featured to the left, on the back. The scattered bones will make an appearance later in the story. The expressions on the fish are curious rather than afraid, making this skeletal tale fun. The wide-eyed look on the skull is ever present, but by moving the black dots in the center the emotional state of mind of the pirate is known to readers.
On the opening endpapers the bones named in the poetic interludes are placed across both pages on a sandy background. They are labeled with their correct anatomical term. There is one addition to this image that is not a bone. On the closing endpapers readers are treated to a vertical view of the assembled bones. The tools of his trade have been added to the pirate; who is ready to sail the seas.
On the title page bony arms and hands reach from the bottom of the page toward the text as currents swirl above and below in the water. Rendered digitally the illustrations mirror locations beneath the waves but are mindful of the intended audience. (I can visualize readers pausing to name as many of the sea creatures as they can in each place.)
All the images are double-page pictures. Bob Kolar adds clever details; a seahorse tail curled around a bit of bone, shoulder blades hidden inside a large clam, a squid carrying something other than bones to the pirate and a single boot ready to cover a foot. He alters his perspective from page turn to page turn in keeping with the pacing, bringing us close to the skull or giving us a larger view. Everything is always in motion.
One of my many favorite illustrations is when the voice is asking for his
sturdy sternum.
Above the slightly rolling sandy bottom murky shades of blue gray provide a canvas. On the left a sea anemone waves its tousled top as orange and white striped fish watch the skull, with its mandible and clavicle attached, as it moves quickly toward the right. Pinkish seaweed floats around the sternum and ribs placed on a small mound. The orange and white striped fish glide in and out of the bony cage. A spyglass lays in the sand in front of the bones.
Comically chilling, informative and a read aloud treasure, Give Me Back My Bones! written by Kim Norman with illustrations by Bob Kolar is one readers will want to hear again and again. It invites listener participation on the final word of the first three phrases. Don't be surprised if your storytime crowd starts to move to the music of the words and images. Wonderful for this spooky season or anytime you want to draw attention to our body's bones or focus on pirate stories. You'll want to have a copy in your personal and professional collections, Mateys!
To discover more about Kim Norman and Bob Kolar and their other work, please visit their respective websites by following the links attached to their names. Kim Norman has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter. Bob Kolar maintains an account on Instagram. At the publisher's website and at Penguin Random House, you can view interior illustrations. Kim Norman chats with author Tammi Sauer at Picture Book Builders about this book and her writing process.
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