My 22-month-old granddaughter has a lot of Halloween books! Her parents love sharing books with their daughter about pumpkins, ghosts and witches. But some day, when my granddaughter is a little older, I’ll share a book with her that she hasn’t yet read called Skeleton Hiccups. This Halloween story fits easily into the light-hearted Halloween genre, but also prompts a scientific wonder.
When a serious case of the hiccups rattles a skeleton’s bones, what’s a skeleton to do? Author Margery Cuyler draws on her knowledge of the myriad of ways we advise children and adults to rid ourselves of hiccups, and she shares this advice with Skeleton through a host of Halloween characters. It’s a playful story that takes Skeleton through emotions of discomfort, frustration, hope, disappointment, fright, and joy. On an emotional level, the story is very relatable.
But what about all those bones Skeleton has? What exactly are bones? Are we skeletons too? What makes us think this?
Jessica’s X-Ray by Pat Zonta with actual x-rays included alongside Clive Dobson’s illustrations, is a fantastic companion to Skeleton Hiccups. The x-rays in this book show bones in hands, arms, and ribcage which are easy for children to examine by touch on their own bodies.
Together we wonder why humans have bones. What would we look like without bones? Do our bones change over time? How do they grow? Why do they break? How do they heal?
Do other living things have bones too? What about animals, reptiles, insects, and plants?
Do they have bones too?
Halloween is not just a great time for trick or treating. It’s also a great time for considering puzzling mysteries about our humanity; and for considering what we have in common with other living things.
Inviting children to explore their ideas about bones using the language of art
We can offer children:
- black paper or cardstock (optional: additional white paper for children to explore contrasts of white or grey marks on white paper versus white or grey marks on black paper)
- a variety of white and grey writing utensils (e.g. crayons, colouring pencils, pastels)
- books or pictures with images of bones (e.g. Skeleton Hiccups and Jessica’s X-Ray)
- leaves or other natural items the children considered through their wonderings about bones
Then invite children to draw their ideas or stories about bones.
What do bones look like when they are skating?
With her oil pastel, Katie drew bones that could run and hop!
The story of Skeleton Hiccups had already been read, but a new story about the wonder of bones was just beginning.