Product Description

This is the first book in the FUNNYBONES series and introduces the skeletons - a big skeleton, a little skeleton and a dog skeleton. They live in a dark dark cellar of a dark dark house on a dark dark hill and so the word repetition continues through this lighthearted story for early readers. The skeletons venture out of their cellar one night to find someone to scare, but everyone is in bed so they amuse themselves by scaring each other and playing with the skeleton animals that live in the zoo.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2548 in Books
• Published on: 1999-09-30
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

About the Author
Janet and Allan Ahlberg created some of the world's most popular picture books, including EACH PEACH PEAR PLUM and THE JOLLY CHRISTMAS POSTMAN, both winners of Greenaway Medals, and THE BABY'S CATALOGUE, inspired by their daughter Jessica. Janet died in 1994 and Allan, a former teacher, now lives in London.

Customer Reviews

It is sure to become a best-loved book on the book shelf.
This children's classic centres on the adventures of a big skeleton, a little skeleton and a dog skeleton. They venture out from their dark dark cellar in the hope of finding someone to scare. However, since everyone is asleep in bed, they have to make do with scaring themselves. The results of which are hilarious!

One of the great things about this book is that the repetitive nature of the language ("On a dark dark hill, there was a dark dark town. In the dark dark town there was a dark dark street") means children (both readers and non-readers) can easily join in with the rhythm.

It is great fun to read the story one-to-one or with a group of children. It is sure to become a best-loved book on the book shelf. Whilst the story is funny and has great accompanying illustrations, be warned that for children younger than say four, the style and nature of the book may be a little menacing!

Six stars, and even that won't be enough!!!!
It's AMAZING! The dramatic plot twists are archetypal of the children's adventure genre. In short, IT ROCKS! I think this book will appeal to the child in all of us. A great way for kids to learn as it juxtaposes humour and biological science as it intergrates to bone structure. The dramatic irony of the mishaps of the midnight trip keeps the audience in suspense and anticipation as to the story's climax. The typical genre conventions such as the full moon, the dark dark house, and the dark dark street, are the epitome of child ghost stories. READ IT! TJ.

Distinctive
The best parts of this book are the simple and distinctive skeleton pictures and the well-known lead-in and lead-out ("On a dark dark hill, there was a dark dark town. In the dark dark town...") The story in between is fine but not outstanding; I think when I read it to my children next we'll make up our own story to the pictures. My near-3yr-old enjoyed it and I would recommend it.