Yorick and Bones Parent Review written by the Hobbit on 10/18/2020 This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog.
A Shakespearian Skeleton?!
Yorick and Bones Review
+ Discussion Questions
Know Before You Read:
Book: Yorick and Bones
Author and Illustrator: Jeremy Tankard & Hermione Tankard
Genre: Graphic Novel, Shakespeare pastiche
Pages: 131 (plus some extra on drawing)
Published: 2020
Age Suggestion: 8+ (what is appreciated will vary by age)
Themes: Love, friendship, loneliness, dogs
Warnings: Younger kids might be frightened at the skeleton – but it is not drawn in a frightening way
Yorick and Bones Summary:
A father and daughter teamed up to bring you this fun Shakespearian cartoon skeleton story!!! Three words I never thought would go together! Yorick is mysteriously brought back to life after several hundred years, and his skeleton is dug up by a very friendly dog. But how do you live as a very old skeleton? The title character refers back to Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and the entire book is in iambic pentameter (what Shakespeare used). Don’t be offput by this – it is not hard to read.
Yorick and Bones Parent Review:
(Contains Spoilers)
-More About the Book-
As family bloggers- we love that this was written by a dad and daughter. Jeremy Tankard (already a known children’s author) wrote the story and drew the illustrations. His daughter, Hermione, converted the story into Shakespearean verse.
When a witch and a hot dog cart collide at the end of a long day, a potion spills out which seeps into the ground and re-animates the skeleton of Yorick. After some while, a dog (later to be named Bones) digs up the skeleton.
At first, Yorick does not realize that he is just a skeleton. He does see that the dog quickly makes friends and tries to use this to introduce himself to others. They, needless to say, run away. He sees a reflection and believes that he is being chased by a skeleton, until finally realizing that he is the skeleton. He now faces an existence completely alone – or does he?
-Why Read It-
Although I could list multiple reasons, two stand out. First, you do not need to know any Shakespeare to enjoy this book, but it is an excellent introduction to Shakespeare for younger readers, and older readers will enjoy seeing how the story is converted into Shakespearean verse. And second, related to the first, is that the story can be enjoyed by a wide range of ages. Younger kids will just enjoy the story. Older kids can ponder concepts like eternity that come up in the book.
-Plot/Setting-
The plot is simple but at the same time there is an underlying complexity. Much like the plot, the setting is simple with some underlying complexity. Yorick is a skeleton but is not scary. There are notes at the end over how the two characters came to be drawn.
-Characters/Style-
There are only two characters, and you will love both by the end. Yorick learns a great deal about friendship by the end of the story. It is not easy to write a good kid’s book in iambic pentameter. The Tankards pulled it off.
Yorick and Bones
Discussion Questions:
For Younger Readers:
1. If a friendly skeleton walked up to you, how would you react? Would you be scared or curious?
2. Why do you think it took Yorick so long to realize that he was a skeleton?
3. Think of a time when you felt alone: what did you do about it?
4. Have you ever had a friend who was different than you? How did your friendship work out?
Continue reading for our Yorick and Bones Discussion questions for older readers:
For Older Readers:
1. How many references to Shakespeare can you find? (for instance, the last line in the book is very similar to a line in Hamlet).
2. Take a look at the section on how the characters were drawn. What are your thoughts? (for instance, Yorick is usually seen as an adult, but is drawn as a child)
3. If you could co-write a book with anyone, who would it be?
4. Has reading this made you curious about Shakespeare?
Final Thoughts:
One other reason to love it – the dog. Any dog lover knows that they are this faithful and true. A really good, fun book that can be used at multiple levels.
What to Check Out Next:
–30+ Family Friendly Halloween Streaming Suggestions
–10+ Corny Halloween Jokes
–7 Halloween Books for Every Age Group
–Ghostwood Song Book Review! A supernatural mystery that we would recommend for ages 14+.
–The Unicorn Rescue Society Book Review! A fun fantastical journey we would recommend for readers age 7+.
–Ghostopolis Book Review. A dive into the afterlife in a graphic novel that we would suggest for ages 12+.
Down The Hobbit Hole Blog and this Yorick and Bones Discussion Questions and Review use affiliate links. We only link products we think you’ll like. So, you are never charged extra for them. As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. We also use cookies to gather analytics and present advertisements. This allows us to keep writing discussion questions and telling ridiculous dad jokes. Also, find our other reviews with discussion questions here. Our posts about faith here. Lastly, our posts about family stuff here.