The Amazing Bone
Encyclopedia
The Amazing Bone is a 32-page picture book
by William Steig
from 1976. It was nominated for the Caldecott Medal
in 1977; however, Leo & Diane Dillon's Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions
won, so The Amazing Bone only received the Caldecott Honor Award. It was the first of Steig's few books in which the main character is a female.
The story is about how Pearl the pig
is walking home from school, and finds a magic
bone on the ground, which has the ability to imitate any sound and speak in any language
(He samples Spanish
and German
for her). Pearl takes it with her, and on the way home they have several misadventures, including an encounter with a hungry fox
who wants to eat Pearl for dinner.
The book was featured in an episode of the PBS television show Storytime in which it was read to a live audience.
film was made of this book, with John Lithgow
as the narrator. Lithgow also gave his voice for another film adaptation of a William Steig book, Shrek
.
A children's musical was produced at Lifeline Theatre
in Chicago, Illinois in 1996. This adaptation, by Eric Lane Barnes, was also produced at the Morgan-Wixson Theatre in Santa Monica, California in 2010.
Picture book
A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. The images in picture books use a range of media such as oil paints, acrylics, watercolor and pencil.Two of the earliest books with something like the format picture books still retain now...
by William Steig
William Steig
William Steig was a prolific American cartoonist, sculptor and, later in life, an author of popular children's literature...
from 1976. It was nominated for the Caldecott Medal
Caldecott Medal
The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children , a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published that year. The award was named in honor of nineteenth-century English...
in 1977; however, Leo & Diane Dillon's Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions
Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions
Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions is a 1976 children's book written by Margaret Musgrove and illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. It was Musgrove's first book, but the Dillons were experienced artists and this book won them the second of their two consecutive Caldecott Medals...
won, so The Amazing Bone only received the Caldecott Honor Award. It was the first of Steig's few books in which the main character is a female.
The story is about how Pearl the pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
is walking home from school, and finds a magic
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
bone on the ground, which has the ability to imitate any sound and speak in any language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
(He samples Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
for her). Pearl takes it with her, and on the way home they have several misadventures, including an encounter with a hungry fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
who wants to eat Pearl for dinner.
The book was featured in an episode of the PBS television show Storytime in which it was read to a live audience.
Adaptation
In the early 90's a short animatedAnimation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
film was made of this book, with John Lithgow
John Lithgow
John Arthur Lithgow is an American actor, musician, and author. Presently, he is involved with a wide range of media projects, including stage, television, film, and radio...
as the narrator. Lithgow also gave his voice for another film adaptation of a William Steig book, Shrek
Shrek
Shrek is a 2001 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, featuring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow. Loosely based on William Steig's 1990 fairy tale picture book Shrek!...
.
A children's musical was produced at Lifeline Theatre
Lifeline Theatre
- Mission :Lifeline Theatre specializes in original literary adaptations. Its ensemble of artists uses imaginative, unconventional staging to portray sprawling stories in an intimate space. Lifeline is committed to promoting the arts in its Rogers Park neighborhood and is an anchor of the Glenwood...
in Chicago, Illinois in 1996. This adaptation, by Eric Lane Barnes, was also produced at the Morgan-Wixson Theatre in Santa Monica, California in 2010.