  | John the skeleton Author: Laan, Triinu | |
| Price: $23.96 | ||
Summary:
The story of a beloved skeleton and all the lives he touches. Everyone deserves a quiet, restful retirement. But for John, a newly retired classroom skeleton, life is just beginning. When John is adopted by Grams and Gramps and leaves the classroom to live on their farm, every day is an exciting new adventure. John rides in the car for the first time, makes a snow angel, scares away crooks, and becomes a source of comfort for Grams, Gramps, and their grandkids.
| Illustrator: | Plats, Marja-Liisa |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (08/15/24)
Booklist (09/01/24)
The Hornbook (00/11/24)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 09/01/2024 This odd but deeply charming Estonian import stars a skeleton named John, who, after a long career as a classroom skeleton, retires to the country and moves in with the affable, idiosyncratic couple of Grams and Gramps. In episodic vignettes, John rides in a car, comically scares off a pair of robbers, sweats in the family sauna, and enjoys brief fame as part of an art installation. But the plot points take a back seat to the overall tone evoked by the cheerful cartoon illustrations splashed with shocking pink, which render John in a style that manages to be both macabre and cute in equal measure, and the frank musings from Grams and Gramps about independence, family, aging, and death. It’s a bit inevitable, as the elderly couple tends to and grows to love the old skeleton, that death becomes a theme, but there’s a matter-of-fact acceptance of death here that is sweet and somehow comforting. While this off-kilter little book might not find wide appeal, the right reader (perhaps even adults) will be thoroughly enchanted. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.
