The Amazing Bone

Why hello book of my youth! And may I say, how pleasant it is to read you once again. I know it's been at least 20 years since I was but a wee tot on my mother's knee. She would read "The Amazing Bone" to me time and time again, and I really did find it a delightful story. Now, years and years later, I read it again. There's something about a good Steig book. And to me, this is the most evocative of his stories. Oh, there are people firmly devoted to "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble". And I daresay "Shrek" and "Doctor De Soto" have their fans as well. But give me "The Amazing Bone" over these trifles any day. It's a warm ribald thoroughly satisfying tale of a young pig, a talking bone, and the troubles that ensue.
Pearl is a sweet young pig winding her way home one day. Enjoying the people around her, the clean crisp air, and the softness of the flowered glens, Pearl is a bit like Little Red Riding Hood. She is in no particular hurry to get home. When Pearl stumbles across a magical talking bone, she is delighted. The bone too is quite happy and the two make a delicious pair. When robbers (frightfully dressed in scary masks and carrying guns & knives) attempt to rob little Pearl, the bone successfully drives the bandits off with scary sounds. Some parents find this an inappropriate portion of the tale and will make a very big deal about it. Honestly? It's just a little too weird to seriously freak out a child. I daresay parents are the ones frightened by this part of the book. Not kiddies. Continuing in the story a dapper fox is less gullible than the silly robbers. When he decides to make Pearl his meal, the bone's cries are in vain. It is only through a series of fortunate turns of fate that Pearl and her bone may return safe and sound to her home and her parents.
Don't get me wrong. The story is doggone bizarre. One of Steig's weirdest by far. Steig was a fan of the small common object (bone, pebble, etc.) containing great grandiose powers. His stories often focus on the little fellow outwitting the big (sometimes literally). And foxes were his favorite villains. Often elegantly dressed, they have the capacity for pity. They just ignore it. This particular story is especially disturbing because of the nature of Pearl's abduction. The fox forces her into his abandoned shack, leaving her cowering on the floor of a room. Want to drill into your children the horrors of strangers and the dangers of going anywhere with them? I can't think of a better method of getting this point home (though, admittedly, I don't remember getting that message when I myself read this story as a child). Though the book certainly contains creepy possibilities, the story is a good one. You're safe with Steig. And just a word on the beauty of his illustrations. Though Steig obviously preferred to grow messier and squigglier in his creations as he aged, no scene in children's picture books is more perfectly pastoral than the shot of Pearl reclining amongst the flowering trees and fields. All in all, a great story couched in a great book.

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.

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.

I'm shocked by all the negative reviews. If your child is disturbed by this, they may be too young for it. They would also be too young for "Red Riding Hood", "Snow White", the "Three Little Pigs", "Beauty and the Beast", "The Lion King" and anything by Beatrix Potter.
If you fear gun-toting robbers far more than being eaten alive or slaughtered, you may dislike this book more than you dislike fairytales. Fairy-tales usually feature child-abuse, parents dying, family abandonment and the fear of characters being killed. Sometimes family members are eaten (Red Riding Hood's grandmother), parents die (the Lion King and Cinderella) and step-mothers abuse and even trying to kill their step children (Snow White and Cinderella).
This book is relatively mild in comparison. It is so sophisticated though, the fox at one point apologizes to Pearl, saying it is just his nature, he is a fox. It's a great lesson in the complex truth that animals eat other animals, not because they're villains, but because it is their natural food source. And while we of course root for Pearl the pig, you can't help but understand the carnivorous fox.
Definitely, if the book seems scary to you, don't read it to your kid. You might pass on your horror to your child. My mom was crazy about this book and read it to me, handing down her great affection for "The Amazing Bone." I've read it to children as young as three who begged for it to be read to them every night.
While some reviewers went so far as to term this book "child abuse", I think it does far greater damage to your child to delude them into thinking there is nothing to fear in the world, then letting them discover it alone, never to recover from the disillusionment. If your child first hears about death when a grandparent dies, or doesn't realize that there are bad people in the world until they encounter one, they are more likely to be scarred by it. Fairytales are a safe environment to encounter very scary things. In your lap, children feel safe while watching good characters be threatened by awful people and experiences and still triumph and find happiness. They teach resilience, bravery and the importance of being one of the good guys. They teach children that awful things may happen in life, but that is not the end of the story. If you stick to the "How do I love You" "Counting Kisses" "Endless Hugs" "You're SOOO Special" books, and endlessly tell them that they are loved and perfect, they will never wonder why you feel the need to continually reassure them of that. Never.

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.

My 3 year old is fascinated by the concept that we all have bones in our bodies, so I hastily selected this book right before Christmas without really reading it. Big mistake! The plot heavily features armed robbery, kidnapping, false imprisonment, and intent to murder the main character. A little heavy for her, in my opinion. She seemed to take it in stride, but I was apalled.

Also, since my main reason for choosing this book was in response to my daughter's interest in bones as part of our anatomy, I was disappointed that there is no explanation where the bone in this story comes from...is it a human bone or an animal's bone? How did it come to be able to talk? And why is this magic object a bone and not an amazing rock or feather or something else?

On the other hand, the illustrations are lovely and the story is interesting, though odd, for older children.

Incredible story and illustrations from a childhood favorite of mine. Perfect for age 7+.

This book is PROFOUNDLY DISTURBING for adults and children. Knives, abductions, fear, fright...couldn't be worse. This book should NEVER be read to children.

My four year old son loved this book. We checked it out from the library, and now we have to buy our own copy. Pearl, the heroine is lovable and the amazing (talking) bone is smart and quick- witted. My son loved this book because of the power the bone gave pearl. The power to overcome the evil villians and go home fearless.

Our children loved this book years ago, and it has remained on our shelves. Our little grandsons (four and almost-seven) pulled it out the other day, and I've been reminded of just how wonderful it is. The pictures are gloriously colorful and full of humor, the text is studded with interesting words (pumpernickel, gaffers, chatterbox, frazzled, wily, flabbergast, duped, intoned, hideaway, and many more), and it's great good fun to read aloud. There is just the right amount of scariness for a little child. It was a delight to read this (over and over and over) to the four-year-old, feeling his little body tense up with a bit of fear, then relax with relief when the fox is outwitted and Pearl returns safely home to the loving arms of her "frazzled" parents. Our 1976 copy is a bit bedraggled now, and I'm ordering a new hardcover edition today.