The Magic School Bus Flies With The Dinosaurs

        The Magic School Bus Flies with the Dinosaurs by Martin Schwabacher

(Based on books and characters by Joanna Cole)

Illustrator: Carolyn Bracken

Publication: Scholastic

Date of Publication: September 1, 2005

ISBN #: 9780439801065 9781436437127

Pages: 32

Theme: Fiction

Format: Print, Easy Reader Level 2, Fiction

Ages: 4-8

That silly and wacky science teacher, Ms. Frizzle is teaching her class about dinosaurs. When one classmate draws a picture of a bird another classmate laughs and explains that birds are not dinosaurs, however this is where the adventure begins and the magic school bus goes back in time to the dinosaurs. Join Ms. Frizzle and the gang to learn more fun facts about dinosaurs and when they ruled the world.

The Magic School Bus series has been popular for nearly twenty years and introduces a fun and interactive approach to learning factual information in story form. In this early reader edition based on the beloved books by Joanna Cole, Martin Schwabacher takes readers on a ride back to the time of the dinosaurs via that super cool magic school bus to learn about different kinds of dinosaurs and what the world was like when the dinosaurs ruled the land.

In this adventure, the author presents the story when a classmate draws a bird for a class assignment on dinosaurs. Another classmate looks at the drawing and explains birds are not dinosaurs…or are they? Ms. Frizzle sets out on a new adventure to help her class learn about evolution and that over millions of years dinosaurs may have evolved into birds. Find out for yourself and read a long in another fun filled adventure with Ms Frizzle, Liz the lizard and learn for yourself if dinosaurs became birds.

The Magic School Bus is a series of books that focus on teaching science in a fun, easy and interactive way for children to learn about life in the real world. Although this series is indeed fictionalized, the stories present real, factual information and material for children to learn about. Joana Cole came up with a fantastic way for children to learn about things that go on in our world; she makes it relatable and easy to understand. This series is a fantastic resource to use when teaching/introducing science in elementary schools. The Magic School Bus is also a great series to bring into story times that focus on adventure and science.

My personal experience with The Magic School Bus series was a big part of my childhood. We only had a few books because this series was born in the nineties while I was growing up but we read what we had to death. They eventually came out with computer games where I seriously spent hours playing and learning all about the ocean in The Magic School Bus Explores the Ocean Floor. A fantastic story that brings back many memories. 

(images via google)

Arthur's Chicken Pox

        Arthur’s Chicken Pox (An Arthur Adventure) by Marc Brown

Illustrator: Marc Brown

Publication: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Date of Publication: April 1, 1996

ISBN #: 9780316113847

Pages: 32

Theme: Family, Health

Format: Print, Picture Book, Series, Fiction

Ages: 5 +

Arthur (that infamous and loveable little aardvark) and his family are looking forward to the circus coming to town until he comes down with the chicken pox. His little sister, D.W. pesters and teases Arthur because of all the little red spots covering his body. D.W. realizes all the attention and goodies Arthur gets from being sick and instantly becomes jealous. When the day arrives to go to the circus, Arthur finally fells betters and his family soon realizes, D.W. now has the chicken pox she so badly wanted and now upset she can’t go.

A part of the acclaimed children’s series, many of the adventures of Arthur take place in school, around their town and mostly at home. In this story, most of the setting takes place in Arthur’s family home and centers around him getting the chicken pox when he was so looking forward to going to the circus with his family. His littler sister, D.W. makes fun of all the spots he is covered in but soon realizes she wants them too so she can get more attention from her parents and grandmother.

Many of the stories about Arthur revolve around his family, so family life and growing up is a huge part of the Arthur Adventure Series. In this adventure, Arthur comes down with chicken pox, something all children go through and unfortunately have to learn how to deal with being sick and endure being pestered by his little sister D.W. Arthur’s grandmother comes over and everyone helps take care of Arthur, D.W. is quickly annoyed that all the attention is on Arthur and doesn’t like not being the center of attention. D.W. later gets the chicken pox and realizes, it’s not so fun being sick.

The Arthur Adventures have been popular for nearly twenty years and children still love learning and getting to know Arthur and his friends because his life (family and at school) is very relatable to the reader. Mixing animals for human characters and creating a story that is similar to the readers own life, this is an instant success for young readers. Growing up with Arthur and seeing how he and family have evolved, this series is an excellent story that children and families can enjoy together.

As a child, our personal library was filled with many Arthur adventures and reading his books for bedtime stories seemed to be often. My particular favorite is Arthur’s Valentine and my sister’s is Arthur’s Christmas. Again, illustration plays an important role when reading to kids, I think the illustration and basic storyline is what I love about the Arthur Series. 

(images via google)

The Librarian from the Black Lagoon

   The Librarian From the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler

Illustrator: Jared Lee

Publisher: Cartwheel Books

Date of Publication: August 2008

ISBN #: 9780545065238

Pages: 32

Theme: School, Growing Up, Overcoming Fears

Format: Print, Paperback Series, Fiction

Age: Preschool to Grade Three

In this fun and wacky series created by Mike Thaler, we are now introduced to the school librarian. From the perspective a young boy who only knows the rumors of how mean, ugly and strict she is, no know wants to go to the library. They say she’ll laminate you if you talk in the library and if you take books off the shelf and books are found out of order, you’ll be electrified!! Follow the crazy imagination of a little boy and see for yourself, if she’s really a monster!

This series follows the life of a young boy and his adventures at school and how his wild imagination makes his teachers and school staff out to be monsters. Each book in the series takes place all over the campus of an elementary school and we learn about each of the teachers. In this hilarious story about the librarian, the author plays off of common stereotypes about librarians. For instance, if you even whisper you will be laminated, if you take a book off the shelf and they are out of order you will be electrified. These rumors describe how grotesque and scary the librarian is, the main character’s imagination creates a terrifying creature as the librarian.

While this series is focuses on being fearful of the school staff, “growing up often entails simple acts of courage, no less intimidating because they’re small like conquering the mysteries of using the library…” (New York Book Review) This writer in the New York Times was reviewing a few children’s based stories that focus on the fears of school and what children learn outside the classroom. His description of overcoming fears is an excellent point that the author of this series is getting at. The main character is panicked about going into the library because of all the scary and intimidating rumors he keeps hearing around school about the librarian. In the end, his class finally enters the library and is greeted by a nice and friendly librarian. This is great story to use in a story time that focuses on school and silly stories. 

Personal Response: I only grew up with The Teacher from the Black Lagoon but it was a particular favorite of mine. The story was hilarious and as I got older I realized the author picks on society stereotypes of the school staff and is full of great illustrations. After picking up the rest of the series at the library, I quickly grew to really enjoy the Black Lagoon series.

(images via google)