Bone: Tall Tales by Jeff Smith with Tom Sniegoski

Long before the Bone cousins were ever lost in the uncharted forest of the Valley, Big Johnson Bone, the discoverer of the Rolling Bone River, founded Boneville. But little is known of the might explorer's adventures before he started his famous trading post.

So when Smiley sits down with a group of young scouts to retell the legendary stories of Boneville's origins, what they hear are tall tales in typical Bone fashion -- wild antics, complete with rat creatures, dragons, and a snarky little monkey!

Bone: Tall Tales by Jeff Smith with Tom Sniegoski, a companion to the epic Bone saga, was previously published in black-and-white as Stupid-Stupid Rat-tails. This brand-new edition, published by Scholastic Graphix in both hardcover and paperback, features new stories and full-colour art.

Bone: Tall Tales serves as a perfect introduction to the series for new readers, and it's a must-have for long-time Bone fans as well. This fun collection of stories of Casper-looking underdogs is perfectly titled, because each and every funny tale Smiley shares 'round the campfire is a tall one. The glossy full-colour illustrations will reel kids in, and the high-falutin' stories will keep them intrigued. The tale of Bone's birth is especially off-the-wall. My favorite tale is the final story, in which Bone gathers a hodgepodge group of woodland creatures, including an adorable fox, a shy turtle, a very put-upon monkey, and a guardian dragon named Stillman who quickly stole a little piece of my heart, to help him in a fight against the evil rat creatures.

Two thumbs up for Tall Tales, Smith, and Sniegoski!