John the Skeleton

A quiet, translated Estonian story about an old couple that integrates a retired classroom anatomy skeleton into their lives, providing themselves companionship as they work the land, entertain grandkids, and navigate old age together.

It is sweet but not without heartache. It tackles the inevitability of mortality with a tinge of hope, showing how passing down memories helps both our loved ones and culture live on.

For the weird kids who find themselves in stories like [b:The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale|60539545|The Skull A Tyrolean Folktale|Jon Klassen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1671459705l/60539545.SX50.jpg|95411730], [b:Oscar Seeks a Friend|43572576|Oscar Seeks a Friend|Paweł Pawlak|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1563406743l/43572576.SX50.jpg|56511276] (translated from Polish), [b:Bog Myrtle|205063378|Bog Myrtle|Sid Sharp|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1712234568l/205063378.SX50.jpg|211055705], [b:Through the Woods|18659623|Through the Woods|Emily Carroll|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1414845473l/18659623.SX50.jpg|26477611], [b:A House Called Awful End|330053|A House Called Awful End (Eddie Dickens Trilogy, #1)|Philip Ardagh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328867483l/330053.SX50.jpg|526468], and A Series of Unfortunate Events.

It also reminded me a bit of the Dutch characters [b:Jip en Janneke|1484848|Jip en Janneke (Jip en Janneke, #1-5)|Annie M.G. Schmidt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1253453723l/1484848.SX50.jpg|1476009]. Maybe even [b:We Are Okay|28243032|We Are Okay|Nina LaCour|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1471899036l/28243032.SY75.jpg|48277368]?