The Bones of Fred McFee

by Eve Bunting

Book Overview

In this rhythmic story, an unsuspecting brother and sister bring a toy skeleton home from the harvest fair. They name it Fred McFee and hang it from a sycamore tree. Soon, eerie things begin to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0152054235
• ISBN13: 9780152054236
• Release Date: September 2005
• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 8.0" x 11.4"
• Age Range: 4 to 7 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 2

Customer Reviews

The Bones of Fred McFee

Great book. My 4 year old son has memorized the entire book. Story is about Halloween but appropriate at any time of the year. If your child loves to rhyme, read thsi book.

Cool story

I started reading this book to my kids when they were both about three. Now they are around six and eight and they still love the book. I enjoy it myself. Also made a nice gift for a friend's child.

Not THAT scary

My 4 year old had no problem with the theme or the pictures, each kid is different when it comes to what scares them or doesn't. My son wanted to buy a plastic skeleton of his own after reading this book and whenever he does see a skeleton he refers to it as "Fred McFee" A fun Halloween story brilliantly illustrated by Kurt Cyrus

Clickety-clack, clickety clack

I stumbled across this book by chance and immediately fell in love with it. It is the perfect Halloween tale. Although recommended for ages 5 to 8, I read it to my 3 1/2 year old and she loves it! The illustrations are fabulous and very appealing to a child's imagination.

Ghoulish, Ghastly Glee!

This book might not be for very little ones because even though the text is pretty simple, the story has a spooky mysterious flavor to it. It is filled with exciting Halloween imagery and the rhyming words of the text flow well to help the story build to its ghostly conclusion. A brother and sister get a realistic-looking plastic skeleton at the fair and they hang it up in a tree for Halloween decoration. Their imaginations begin to run wild (or is it their imaginations?) They can hear the eery clacking of the skeleton's bones as the wind blows through the bare tree branches. They have named their skeleton Fred McFee and they suspect that he may be doing more than just his dance of the dead. Why does the old dog, Sam, stay away from the tree where the skeleton is hanging? Why have the hens stopped laying and where has the old rooster gone? After one particularly windy night Fred McFee himself disappears! Where he went, no one knows for certain. Maybe that bare spot of ground is his grave! Maybe he's even here now, haunting and clackety clacking his ghoulish dance. When the wind is blowing in the dark and the tree branches are clacking together, shhhh....is that Fred McFee?! Enjoy this atmospheric and imaginative story and its wonderful, lively illustrations and explore the delicious fun of scaring yourself silly with your kids. Beware of Fred McFee!