The Skeleton Family

Description

The Skeleton Family are just like everyone else - Skelly-mum is an artist who paints beautiful pictures, Skelly-dad is popular at parties because he plays the guitar, their daughter Maia is at high school and she loves gymnastics while her younger brother Orio is an aspiring YouTuber. They're so normal they even have a cat called Baxter and a dog called Spanky. The one thing that sets the Skeleton Family apart from everyone else is the fact that they have no skin, but this doesn't matter at all because everyone likes them just as they are ... well, everyone except their new next-door neighbours! The neighbours think the family are a bit creepy - and they haven't even met them. Will the Skeleton Family be able to win over their new neighbours and persuade them that they're not that different because beneath every skin-covered person lies a skeleton? While this book is gorgeously illustrated and fun to read, The Skeleton Family brings home the message that it's wrong to judge people just on how they look, and that all people are fundamentally the same. The book also contains the musical score for the catchy song The Skeleton Family sing to their new neighbours, making it perfect for school classes to learn and sing. A QR code is included to link readers to a website where Ian has a recording of the song so everyone can listen to the song!

Ian Chapman is the author of three books on musical themes - The Dunedin Sound, Experiencing David Bowie and Glory Days. He is also the Head of Programme, Performing Arts and Senior Lecturer in Contemporary Music at the University of Otago. This is his first children's book. Cheryl Smith is an illustrator and designer based in Auckland.