Review: The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge

Just in time for Earth Day comes Ms. Frizzle and her students in a new Magic School Bus book!

Title:  The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge

Author/Illustrator:  Joanna Cole/Bruce Degen

Review Copy Provided by:  Scholastic

About the Book:  Ms. Frizzle’s students are putting on a play about global warming, and they need some cold, hard facts. The Friz knows just where to find them! A hop on the Magic School Bus takes the kids on a whirlwind tour. From the Arctic to the equator, they see telltale signs of climate change. But to get the really big picture, the class has to get really small – so they can see exactly what is in the air and why it is making the world warmer. What they find gives them a real cause for concern!

My Review:  I am a HUGE Magic School Bus fan! I have a collection of the books, that went along with themes in my classroom, and I loved to use the videos with my kindergartners and 3rd graders!  This is a great new book from Joanna Cole.  Global warming and climate change are words that we're hearing too often these days.  This book helps to explain the phenomena to children in a way they will understand.  It makes non-fiction reading fun!

Children love these books because they are fun!  Ms. Cole tells a story about climate change that can be read on it's own and easily understood, without all the side notes.  But, if you read the side notes, definitions, etc, you will be that much more informed about global warming.  The children in Ms. Frizzle's class explain gases, conserving, recycling, molecules, atoms and many more words.  In their mini-reports, they teach the reader about fossil fuels, why global warming is happening now, and much more!  It's amazing the way Ms. Cole packs a ton of facts into one children's book.

I think another reason children are drawn to these books is the fact that the characters become the science that they are talking about.  It is more of an interactive non-fiction text that not only informs but entertains.  This is a must have addition to a classroom or school library.

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Find out more information on Ms. Frizzle’s April 20 Webcast:  Climb on board with author Joanna Cole and illustrator Bruce Degen on Tuesday, April 20th at 1pm ET / 10am PT as they join Ms. Frizzle to celebrate Earth Day and their new book The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, New Jersey! Simply register online, then tune in on April 20th and join the fun! Visit The Magic School Bus Webcast.






*I received a copy of The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge in support of this post*