Bone, Vol. 2: The Great Cow Race [Paperback]

Jeff Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2005 | Age Range: 11 and up | Lexile Measure: 380L (What's this?)

The cornerstone of GRAPHIX, our new graphic novel imprint, BONE is the incredible comic book saga of an unlikely hero who must save an idyllic valley from the forces of evil.

In THE GREAT COW RACE, volume 2 of this 9-book epic, Fone Bone and his cousins plan to return home after visiting the village of Barrelhaven with Thorn and Gran'ma Ben. But Phoney risks everything on one last get-rich-quick scheme for the town's annual Great Cow Race. As usual, Phoney's plans go disastrously awry, and Boneville seems further away than ever. Meanwhile, ominous signs indicate that a war is brewing, and Fone finds himself helping his friends defend their valley from a formidable enemy.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4 Up–The strange-looking Bone cousins visit Barrelhaven with their friends Thorn and Granma Ben. Phoney Bone, who usually causes trouble, does so again in these six chapters. He tries to swindle the villagers by fixing the annual Great Cow Race. While the race is underway, Fone Bone, who has wandered off to the woods, is chased by two giant rat creatures that have been after the Bones since their arrival in the valley, but they dont know why. Granma Ben knows something, though, and makes ominous references to a past war with the rat creatures and a treaty that is being tested. In addition to the comic elements, there are the usual fantasy elements of the fight between good and evil. Exciting and fun, the full-color art moves the story along at a rapid pace. The vocabulary is not difficult and the illustrations are clear. On one level, the book will appeal to fourth or fifth graders. However, it has a darker side that will appeal to teens. The writing flows gracefully, especially for a graphic novel. This book will be well received in both public and school libraries.–Ronnie Gordon, Brooklyn Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

Praise for the Bone series

Named one of the top ten graphic novels of all time by Time

"Spectacular." —Spin magazine

"One of the best kids' comics ever." —VIBE magazine

"Jeff Smith's Bone series . . . is a true accomplishment. Not only is it a terrific graphic-novel series, but it's a superb example of storytelling." —School Library Journal

"Bone is storytelling at its best, full of endearing, flawed characters whose adventures run the gamut from hilarious whimsy to thrilling drama." —Entertainment Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 11 and up
  
• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: GRAPHIX (August 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439706394
• ISBN-13: 978-0439706391
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,780 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #67 in Books > Children's Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Comics & Graphic Novels

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This Color Volume is Even Better than the Last! November 6, 2005

By D. G. D. Davidson

Format:Paperback

At long last! Jeff Smith's epic high fantasy comic masterpiece is being produced in color.

Fans of Bone will be pleased with Steve Hamaker's crisp coloration, which frequently adds shadow and texture without overloading the panels and really brings out the details of the art. Fans familiar with the one-volume addition will also be glad to see additional artwork filling the space between chapters, as artwork in the original black and white nine-volume series has been reintroduced, including the 'Possum kids' goofy poem and the two-page spread of Thorn frolicking with the Bones. These new color volumes also reveal more of Smith's (or his editor's) endless fiddling. The dialogue in the one-volume edition had been altered, sometimes significantly, and very minor changes have been made again. Most noticeably, the misspelling of "Kewpie doll" has at last been corrected.

The quality is much higher than in Volume One: Out from Boneville. The pixelation that some panels suffered in Volume One is gone. The printing is crisp and even the colors seem brighter. However, as in the last volume, the panels have been shrunk. The one-volume edition was smaller than the original nine volumes and the new color volumes have been shrunk again. Surprisingly little detail is lost, considering the intricacy of Smith's art, due no doubt to the high-quality printing. Hamaker and Scholastic are doing a great job and are truly bringing Bone to life.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous June 26, 2005

By C. Raybould

Format:Paperback

This is one of the best Bone book's in the series. The colour version is just amazing. It totally blows the first Colour volume away in quality. EVERY page is full of detailed colour and it really just puts this book over the top. I wasent very impressed with The colour version of out from boneville. The quality wasent very consistant. Some pages almost seemed pixelated. This isnt the case in this second book.
I totally recommend this. Bone is going to blow up. By next school year when all the kids get back in school, it is going to be the new craze.

>>> The release date says August 1st, but it's in bookstores already, so I don't know what's up with that.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The best edition of Bone ever September 13, 2005

By Randall R. Worley

Format:Hardcover

I have read Bone from back when it first came out in individual comic issues. I must say, this color edition, especially the hardcover one, is the nicest one yet. The black-and-white original always felt a bit sparse for the tone and humor of the story. The beautiful coloring in this edition is perfect. I've bought the two that have come out, and can't wait for the remaining 7. Great job, Scholastic!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic in color, great job August 22, 2012

By HectorCC

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Having read the Bone series in the original black and white, I was a little worried about how it would be with color. The stories were never intended to be in color and I wasn't sure if it would really have the same feel colorized. Well, I am in love with this version, it looks fantastic. Breaking it up into nice sized chapters is great (the omnibus was unwieldy and the individual comics short and expensive to collect)and very affordable.

I am a big fan of the series, which seem "cutesy" on first look. Don't let the Scholastic imprint fool you, these were published by Image comics originally. It is kid friendly, but not a children's story. When you read them, you will realize that there is a great epic story that builds with a nice progression and fantastic art. I bought these to read with my sons who are 4 and 6, they were instantly drawn into the story from the beginning, and have been counting down the days til the new chapters arrived. Definitely give the series a read, it starts a little slow, but is excellent all the way through.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great continuation of this series December 10, 2010

By Karissa Eckert

Format:Paperback

This is the second Bone graphic novel out of nine. This was a great addition to the story and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Fone Bone and his buddies are getting ready for the Great Cow Race. Grandma is hoping to win, but Phoney Bone is creating some money mischief in the betting pool that is bound to get the Bones in trouble again. In addition to this the broader more mysterious storyline is also added to: Thorne is having strange dreams that she confesses to Fone Bone and Fone Bone is again attacked by the Rat-like creatures whose purpose is yet unknown. Even our friendly cigar smoking red dragon makes a brief appearance.

This was a fun installment in the Bone comics series. Not quite as adventurous and mysterious as the first one, this one was funnier and dealt mainly with the cow races. Interwoven with that are some more serious story elements such as what the deal is with Thorne's strange dreams and why their house was attacked and destroyed by the rat creatures.

The drawing is well done, just like in the first book. There is a lot of humor here mixed up with the more serious stuff. This is a graphic novel appropriate for all ages.

Overall a great addition to this series. I have really been enjoying it a lot. Eventually I think I am going to have to buy keeper copies of these (I've been getting them from the library). I look forward to reading the third book, Bone, Volume 3: Eyes of the Storm, soon.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Funniest Comics I've Ever Read! March 14, 2006

By Jessica Y. Do

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Like the title says. I've read the odd Disney comic, and they were good for a few chuckles; but "Bone: The Great Cow Race" was so funny, I had to put it down a few times to catch my breath from laughing so hard!