THE BONES BOOK & SKELETON Stephen L. Cumbaa Illustrated by Kim LaFave Toronto, Somerville House Publishing, 1991. 64pp, paper, $17.95 ISBN 0-921051-26-3, Includes 25-piece skeleton to assemble. CIP Grades 1 to 7/Ages 6 to 12 Reviewed by Pat Steenbergen Volume 20 Number 3 1992 May Steve Cumbaa is a paleontologist with the Canadian Museum of Nature. The book is really about the human body, not just bones and the skeleton. Perhaps the catchy title was irresistible. Many aspects of the body are discussed, such as senses and circulation, without relation to the bones, as well as the muscles, which are at least attached to the skeleton. Once the directions for assembling the model skeleton are given, the model is not referred to again. A few directions to look at the size of the skull or the feet in relation to the number of bones would have been an effective means of tying the two together. The information is attractively presented and enjoyable to read. Unfortunately, there is no index, so children attempting to locate topics will have to use the contents page and know that they should look under "circula­tory system" for information on blood. The page tops are colour coded but the colours are not meaningful - one purple section is about the brain but the next is about fractures. The model fits together well and can be posed in different positions or placed on its stand. The idea of including a stand and cover is a good one. This kit would be difficult for libraries to circulate but could be used in classrooms. The kit is too expensive to recommend if the model will not be useful; conversely, for a model of a skeleton, it's a reasonable price. Recommended with reservations. Pat Steenbergen, Board of Education for the City of York, Toronto, Ont.