Skeleton (Eyewitness Lvg World Video) [Slide]

DK Publishing (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up | Series: Eyewitness Lvg World Video

Eyewitness -- bringing the natural world into your living room.

The skeleton- it is essential to life, yet the sight of one can fill us with fear. As we learn in the Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Video: Skeleton, fish, birds, reptiles and amphibians all have one. Defined as the internal frame of bones on which the soft body hangs, the skeleton supports the body, anchors the muscles and protects vital organs. The spine supports the human frame, limbs give us movement, the ribcage surrounds the soft organs and the skull protects the information center for the entire body. Of the over 300 we are born with to the 206 they fuse to become in adults, every bone has an important and complex job. With incredible computer animation and stunning graphics, the video uses an animated human skeleton as our "host" through the structure itself. Skeletons also serve as the body's permanent record, as fossils they taught us everything we know about evolution, the skull, being a blueprint of lifestyle, telling more than any other bone. In addition to structure and composition, this half-hour video compares and contrasts the human skeleton with those of other animals and explains how the differences correlate in their individual movement (swimming, flying, running on twos or fours). A broken bone is one of the few components in the body that can mend itself and we are shown up-close how this occurs over time. Although a skeleton is defined as internal, the vast majority of living things on Earth have an exoskeleton, or their correlative structure on the outside. Some examples disgust us (insects), but others are beautiful; we collect shells, coral reefs are nothing but masses of dead exoskeletons clumped together. The skeleton will probably always stand as a reminder of our mortality (interestingly, the elephant is the only other creature afraid of its own skeleton), after watching this amazing addition to the Eyewitness Video Series viewers should also be in awe of the massive job it performs for us. Without the strength of our skeleton, life would be far more fragile-if it existed at all.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...a mini museum between the covers of a book. [Eyewitness series] -- The New York Times

These books' striking visual impact will draw in even the most casual readers. [Eyewitness series] -- School Library Journal --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

"Eyewitness is really news! The new PBS series shoves nature television into the modern arena, examining in electric half-hour blocks a type of animal, and finding eyewidening ways to reveal the critters' essences."-Chicago Tribune 1996 Emmy(r) Award "Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Graphic Design" NEA Award for the Advancement of Learning through Broadcasting 1996 Golden Gate Awards-Golden Spire Winner.

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Product Details

• Slide
• Publisher: DK VIDEO; Vhs edition (May 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789400359
• ISBN-13: 978-0789400352
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,703,813 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rich with photos and information, a treasure trove of info!, July 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Eyewitness: Skeleton (Hardcover)

I would have loved having books like these when I was a kid. I currently have this book on my coffeetable. I like looking at the photos and illustrations and reading the information. Features interesting cross-sections of bone, and different animal and human skulls and bones. Sounds morbid, but it's far from it... just vividly bright photos. When a friend with children comes over to visit, this book will usually occupy them for well over an hour... the images are so real, you feel like you can reach in and touch the fossils and other images portrayed.

A fabulous photo reference for artists as well... it's rare that any book contains so many superb studio-quality photos of so many diverse types of bones. Far from just being a picture book, every caption is full of interesting information that adults, as well as children will learn from.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book, May 1, 2002

By 

K. Kainula "kevinkainula" (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eyewitness: Skeleton (Eyewitness Books) (Library Binding)

Many photos of stunning real-life photos and explanations give you and entirely new look at human and animal bones on how they work.