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Review: Argh! There’s a Skeleton Inside You!

February 3, 2020

Firstly, what a title! The appealing front cover leads you in to this funny, playful and informative book about what hands are, what is inside of them and how they work. The story starts on the endpapers as two aliens (Quog and Oort) crash land their spaceship on Earth and need help in order to get to a birthday party on time. You, the reader, help them reach Kevin’s party by interacting with the book and teaching them about hands, skeletons, muscles and nerves. It is a great premise and children will enjoy such interactions as placing their hands on the page to be “scanned” to show muscles and demonstrating how nerves work by turning over a page with their eyes closed. As Quog and Oort find out more about hands so do we and the grateful alien pair are aided on their journey….

Book Title: Argh! There’s a Skeleton Inside You! (available here)

Author: Idan Ben-Barak

Illustrator: Julian Frost

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Publication Date: August 2019

Most Suitable For: KS1

Reviewed By: Tim Dunford, Class Teacher

Firstly, what a title! The appealing front cover leads you in to this funny, playful and informative book about what hands are, what is inside of them and how they work.

The story starts on the endpapers as two aliens (Quog and Oort) crash land their spaceship on Earth and need help in order to get to a birthday party on time. You, the reader, help them reach Kevin’s party by interacting with the book and teaching them about hands, skeletons, muscles and nerves. It is a great premise and children will enjoy such interactions as placing their hands on the page to be “scanned” to show muscles and demonstrating how nerves work by turning over a page with their eyes closed. As Quog and Oort find out more about hands so do we and the grateful alien pair are aided on their journey.

This book is bright and full of quirky humour but also factual. Children will enjoy rereading and playing with it and teachers will be grateful that it’s much more than just a fun gimmick. It would be a great book to use whilst learning about the body. The microbial stars from the previous book by Idan Ben-Barak and Julian Frost (Do Not Lick This Book) make a guest appearance in the final bonus pages which go into more scientific detail about ligaments, synovial fluid and so on.

The authors are onto a winning formula and hopefully there will be further, similar books to follow, drawing on Ben-Barak’s knowledge of science and Frost’s bold and appealing artwork (which can also be found in the famous “Dumb Ways To Die” YouTube video for train safety).

I can’t wait for my class to get their hands on the book!

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