A framing sequence by Jeff Smith has Smiley Bone and his Bone Scouts -- Ringo, Bingo, and Todd -- joined by Fone Bone and Bartleby the rat creature for a night of stories around a campfire. The tall tale spun by Jeff Smith is really good, but the rest, written by Tom Sniegoski, are pretty worthless.

Coda ~ 4 stars ~

Taking place after the finale of the Bone series, the Bone cousins make their way through a desert on their way back to Boneville only to be blocked by a canyon and stalked by a vulture. Jeff Smith's humorous slapstick kicks the book off with its best story.

Night of the Quiche ~ 3 stars ~

We find out why the two stupid rat creatures are so obsessed with quiche in the main series. Helpful, but told flatly.

Riblet ~ 2 stars ~

This five-part story is a tedious retread of O. Henry's "The Ransom of Red Chief" that has the two stupid rat creatures experiencing nothing but regret as they try to eat the super annoying baby wild boar named Riblet that they've snatched for supper. What a waste of Stan Sakai art.

The Croc-O-Gator! ~ 2 stars ~

A raccoon and fox spin a scary lie to keep the other small forest animals away from a tasty berry patch they want to keep to themselves. Heavy-handed and obvious.

The Moon Goon in June ~ 2 stars ~

Big Johnson Bone (and how did Smith slip this highly phallic name into a children's series?) travels to the Moon to get his old girlfriend back but, in doing so, runs afoul of the King of the Moon. I could not care less about any of these characters, even with the little predictable twist at the end.

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents:
• Frontispiece [featuring Big Johnson Bone]: Hangin' Out! / Scott Brown, illustrator
• Smiley and the Bone Scouts, featuring Bartleby and guest starring Fone Bone: Prologue and Interstitials / Jeff Smith, writer and illustrator
• Tall Tale #1, as told by Fone Bone: The Bone Cousins and Bartleby in "Coda" [reprinted from Bone: Coda] / Jeff Smith, writer and illustrator
• Tall Tale #2, as told by Bartleby: The 2 Stupid Rat Creatures in "Night of the Quiche" / Tom Sniegoski, writer; Matt Smith, illustrator
• Tall Tale #3, as told by Bartleby: "Riblet" / Tom Sniegoski, writer; Stan Sakai, illustrator
[ - Riblet, Part 1: A Little Pork Would Be Lovely, reprinted from Bone #31]
[ - Riblet, Part 2: Bringing Home the Bacon, reprinted from Bone #32]
[ - Riblet, Part 3: Fun & Games, reprinted from Bone #33]
[ - Riblet, Part 4: Losing One's Appetite, reprinted from Bone #34]
[ - Riblet, Part 5: Something Drastic, reprinted from Bone #35]
• Tall Tale #4, as told by Smiley Bone: "The Croc-O-Gator!" starring the Small Forest Mammals! / Tom Sniegoski, writer; Katie Cook, illustrator
• Tall Tale #5, as told by Todd: Big Johnson Bone in "The Moon Goon in June" / Tom Sniegoski, writer; Scott Brown, illustrator
• Illustration: Pi Day [featuring the Bone Cousins] / Jeff Smith & Vijaya Iyer, illustrators
• [About the Creators]
• Bone: Out from Boneville [Preview] / Jeff Smith, writer and illustrator ( )