John the Skeleton
Review posted July 29, 2025.
Restless Books, 2024. First published in Estonia in 2020. 58 pages.
Review written July 3, 2025, from a library book.
Starred Review
2025 Mildred L. Batchelder Award Winner
John the Skeleton is in picture book format, but it was originally published in Estonia, and is for older readers than a typical American picture book. I'd say it's for Kindergarten to second grade kids having it read to them, though the lucky person reading it to them will be charmed, too.
I'll be honest - I was completely put off by the cover picture of snails crawling on a skeleton and hadn't ordered it for our library system until it won the Batchelder Award for a book in translation. I put a note to show it to me and decided to put it with the JFIC books instead of the picture books, since it's got more words on a page than a typical picture book. But looking at the book convinced me I had to read it more closely, so I placed a hold on it and finally got to give it a proper reading.
And what a delight it is! John is a skeleton used in a classroom (not a real human skeleton, but constructed as a teaching tool). But after John got a few broken bones, the teacher let him retire after long years of service - and he retired to a cottage with Grams and Gramps deep in the woods.
The book simply tells of their adventures together. Gramps dresses John nicely and John helps scare off robbers. He plays with their grandchildren and goes with the family to hear the lake sing, among many other charming stories about John the Skeleton's simple life with Grams and Gramps. The book ends with a poignant note, but we are assured that John is still bringing Gramps comfort and companionship.
And the note at the back tells us the story is based on a real bone man who retired from a school.
An ordinary Estonian's dream is to live in a house where their closest neighbors are at least half a kilometer away. When John got the chance to retire and live on a farm in Vörumaa, which is one of the farthest corners of the country, his dream came true.
Trust me. This is another one you should read for yourself. I think you will be charmed.