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William Steig

The Amazing Bone (Reading Rainbow Books) Paperback – April 1, 1993

by William Steig (Author, Illustrator)

227 ratings

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Can Pearl, a pig, and her new friend, a small talking bone, outwit a band of robbers and a hungry fox?

The Amazing Bone is a 1976 New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year and Outstanding Book of the Year, a 1977 Caldecott Honor Book, and a 1977 Boston Globe - Horn Book Awards Honor Book for Picture Books.

Reading age

3 - 7 years, from customers
Print length

32 pages
Language

English
Grade level

Kindergarten - 3
Lexile measure

660L
Dimensions

8.75 x 0.11 x 10.7 inches
Publisher

Square Fish
Publication date

April 1, 1993
ISBN-10

0374403589
ISBN-13

978-0374403584
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Pearl (a piglet) discovers a talking bone, which had fallen out of a witch's basket...This is a tight mesh of witty storytelling and art, bound to please any audience." --Starred, Booklist

"Steing's inspired language is a miraculous match for his pictures, lovely as well as funny."--Publishers Weekly

"Another Steig tour de force."--School Library Journal

About the Author

William Steig (1907-2003) was a cartoonist, illustrator and author of award-winning books for children, including Shrek!, on which the DreamWorks movies are based. Steig was born in New York City. Every member of his family was involved in the arts, and so it was no surprise when he decided to become an artist. He attended City College and the National Academy of Design. In 1930, Steig’s work began appearing in The New Yorker, where his drawings have been a popular fixture ever since. He published his first children's book, Roland the Minstrel Pig, in 1968.

In 1970, Steig received the Caldecott Medal for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. His books for children also include Dominic; The Real Thief; The Amazing Bone, a Caldecott Honor Book; Amos & Boris, a National Book Award finalist; and Abel's Island and Doctor De Soto, both Newbery Honor Books. Steig's books have also received the Christopher Award, the Irma Simonton Black Award, the William Allen White Children's Book Award, and the American Book Award. His European awards include the Premio di Letteratura per l'infanzia (Italy), the Silver Pencil Award (the Netherlands), and the Prix de la Fondation de France. On the basis of his entire body of work, Steig was selected as the 1982 U.S. candidate for the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for Illustration and subsequently as the 1988 U.S. candidate for Writing.

Stieg also published thirteen collections of drawings for adults, beginning with About People in 1939, and including The Lonely Ones, Male/Female, The Agony in the Kindergarten, and Our Miserable Life.

He died in Boston at the age of 95.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Square Fish; Reissue edition (April 1, 1993)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 32 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0374403589
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0374403584
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 3 - 7 years, from customers
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 660L
Grade level ‏ : ‎ Kindergarten - 3
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.75 x 0.11 x 10.7 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #4,231,027 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,570 in Children's Pig Books (Books)
- #37,762 in Children's Friendship Books
- #49,450 in Children's Fantasy & Magic Books

Customer Reviews:
227 ratings

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William Steig

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William Steig (1907–2003) published his first children’s book, Roland the Minstrel Pig, in 1968, and received the Caldecott Medal for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (978-1416902065) in 1970. His works also include The Amazing Bone, a Caldecott Honor Book, and Abel’s Island and Doctor De Soto, both Newbery Honor Books. His most recent books published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux are Shrek! (released by DreamWorks as a major motion picture) and Wizzil, illustrated by Quentin Blake. School Library Journal named Shrek! a Best Book of 1990 and said of it, "Steig's inimitable wit and artistic dash have never been sharper or more expertly blended."

Customer reviews

5 star		82%
4 star		8%
3 star		2%
2 star		1%
1 star		7%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Mama of six

Skip this one

Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2019

Verified Purchase

My kids and I are big Steig fans so I bought this title without hesitation-big mistake. The themes in it were quite dark (a young "girl" pig being kidnapped and hearing knives being sharpened to slaughter her, being held at gun point). We read it through once and all 5 kids quietly walked away after it and haven't asked for it since. A very far cry from Dr. DeSoto. It'll be going in the trash-not the give away box.

20 people found this helpful

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J. Manchester

A good book to begin reading mutli-syllable words...may not be suitable for children younger than 7

Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2020

Verified Purchase

I purchase William Steig's books on the recommendation of a reading teacher, who informed me that the author's books are great reading books for 2nd graders. That is, they are a nice bridge between picture books and chapter books. Steig's stories are longer, the story lines are substantial, and while the language and word usage are little "mature" it is age appropriate.

A general maxim, in 1st and 2nd grades, a child is learning to read; while starting in 3rd grade, "a child reads to learn." I am trying to get my child ready for 3rd grade reading and comprehension. I wanted my child to have a book with a story line that was a little more complex, not so formulaic or predictable. I am tired of "the handsome prince" and "fairies!" More important, however, I wanted a reading book with more multi-syllable words and advance vocabulary, which his children's books are well known to have. Due to being out of school (distance learning - COVID-19), she did not get a lot of advance phonics, and this book served as good practice, while telling an interest and unique story.

Note Well: There are plenty of good reviews of this book on this site that focus on the story; and there a many negative reviews about the subject matter of the story. I encourage you to read the reviews by the Hall of Fame reviewers in 2001.

2 people found this helpful

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catra68

Disturbing Violence

Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2020

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This book is 100% not appropriate for children. Several VERY scary pages with guns and knives (“pistols and daggers”). Very violent, pointing guns at someone’s head, threats to stab/kill. This should not be sold on Amazon or anywhere else for that matter.

7 people found this helpful

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Evita

Not appropiate

Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2019

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This book has a page with pistols and villains on it. Not appropriate for my students.

6 people found this helpful

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Book-it!

For the Hero (or Heroine) in All of Us

Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2014

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This was my son's favorite book as a child. A young pig finds a magic bone that has special powers. Despite others disbelief, she sticks to her story and is rescued by both the bone and her own ingenuity. A wonderful tale of courage and empowerment for children. Definitely for the imaginative and quirky; literal-minded children may be puzzled by this one. One of the joys of Steig's books, especially for the adult who has to read them aloud at least 50 times, is that he engages with children at a much higher level than most authors, with wonderful wit, unpredictable story lines and language that enchants.

11 people found this helpful

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EmTheShop

Witty Steig!!!

Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2019

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If you and or your child likes witty, this book is for you! As with all of Steig’s storylines, this is for the imaginative and courageous. I would suggest age 8 and up for this one.

2 people found this helpful

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Andrew Schonbek

It Would Be Amusing to Gnaw on a Bone That Talks...and Screams With Pain

Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2006

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These words are spoken by a fox, one of the villains of this book, to a talking bone, one of the heroes. The bone is not inanimate - it is a sentient creature with feelings and a sweet disposition.

There is no doubt that Steig is brilliant, but in The Amazing Bone he seems to have lost his bearings. How can a book purportedly written for children include a character that takes pleasure from inflicting pain, and describes it in this graphic way?

The fox also menaces Pearl, a darling piglet who is the other protagonist of the book. Her trouble starts, as it might for any child, as follows: "It was a brilliant day, and instead of going straight home from school, Pearl dawdled".

As she slowly makes her way home through idyllic scenery, Pearl happens upon the talking bone. "'May I take you home with me, wonderful bone?' Pearl asked".

But the happy scene is soon interrupted by three masked robbers who put a gun to the head of the innocent child. With the help of the bone Pearl escapes, only to fall into the clutches of the even more sinister fox. The shocking threat of torture follows as the valiant bone tries to rescue its new friend for a second time.

"When they arrived at the fox's hideaway, he shoved Pearl into and empty room and locked the door". While there are many such scenes in the Little Red Riding Hood genre of fairy tale, there is something particularly violent and dark in Stieg's portrayal. The image of Pearl cowering on the floor of the locked room awaiting her fate is disturbing to the extreme.

Notwithstanding a happy ending it's clear that this book can't be recommended for children, and that it isn't intended for adults. This being the case it is surprising that in 1977 it was recognized by the American Library Association as a Caldecott Honor Book. Certainly Steig's artful and evocative illustrations are remarkable, but should not have been sufficient, in and of themselves, for the conferring of this prestigious award.

17 people found this helpful

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BlueViolet

Wonderful book, a little like Hansel and Gretel

Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2016

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I love the stories and illustrations of William Steig, and I remembered this one from my childhood. They are wonderfully creative and whimsical. This one is about a pig who finds a magical talking bone in the woods, and it helps to save her from a hungry fox. Be aware that the storyline in this one is similar to Hansel and Gretel (slightly dark), so it might be better for your older kids.

2 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Virginia Spray

One Star

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 6, 2015

Verified Purchase

The best book for 6 and to adult!!

Amazon Customer

It is a timeless hit

Reviewed in Canada on August 4, 2022

Verified Purchase

We read many of Steig’s books to our children and now again to our grandchildren. They are heartfelt, sentimental and also, literary. Not to be missed.

MR DJ JOHNSON

The best book ever written for children

Reviewed in Canada on January 14, 2019

Verified Purchase

I love this book. No it doesn’t have a”lesson” but what’s wrong with a good crazy adventure?

ReadsListensViews

William Steig's stories are in a league of there own ...

Reviewed in Canada on April 25, 2015

Verified Purchase

William Steig's stories are in a league of there own, as enjoyable for the parent as for the child. This is a very well written children's book. My daughter loves it as do I.

bbs follower

Such a great story

Reviewed in Canada on January 10, 2020

Verified Purchase

Your children will sit quietly enthralled by this classic story, perfect for the classroom and for bedtime.

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The Amazing Bone (Reading Rainbow Books) Paperback – April 1, 1993

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