The Magic School Bus Going Batty: A Book About Bats [Paperback]

Joanna Cole (Author), Bruce Degan (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Magic School Bus

The class is learning about nocturnal animals—creatures of the night. But Ralphie decides Ms. Frizzle is a vampire, and he's driving the rest of the class batty. That's when the Magic School Bus grows wings and flies into an old castle. If they hang around bats for a while, will they find out the truth about Ms. Frizzle?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Author Joanna Cole and illustrator Bruce Degen make learning a spirited joyride, delighting young audiences with their fantastic journeys to the eye of a hurricane, the bottom of the ocean, and the center of the earth, to name just a few. Author and illustrator have said they were each inspired by an important teacher in their classroom days - very much like Ms. Frizzle! There are now more than 58 million Magic School Bus books in print, in a variety of formats, plus a wildly successful animated television series. Called "a can't-miss team" by School Library Journal, Cole and Degen live in Florida and Connecticut, respectively. For more information about Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen, visit: scholastic.com/magicschoolbus/books/authors

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (October 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590738720
• ISBN-13: 978-0590738729
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 7.7 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,078,786 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #30 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( C ) > Cole, Joanna

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 4 1/2 * Ms. Frizzle Leads the Way, April 26, 2001

By 

M. Allen Greenbaum (California) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Magic School Bus Going Batty: A Book About Bats (Paperback)

A fun book in the "Magic School Bus" series, this is a fact- and pun-filled account of Ms. Frizzle's students (and parents) going on a field trip to learn more about bats. Some of the kids are a little nervous at first: Ralphie believes that bats are really vampires! The field trip shows otherwise, as bat-facts are presented in a creative and interesting manner.

The famous bus does do some magic here: Turning into a "bat bus" to demonstrate echolocation, and then turning the children into bats (temporarily!) so they can learn about bat food, bat predators, bat flight speed, and general "hanging around (upside down from the branches of a tree)." Facts replace suspicion (Is Ms. Frizzle herself a vampire? Did she turn the parents into vampires?), and the story ends with yet another pun. (Be your own judge about whether this story might be too frightening for the very young). With bright, colorful (but not extraordinary) illustrations on each one of the story's 28 pages, and two pages with letters about bats and bat facts. Probably not as exciting as Batman, but fans of "The Magic School Bus" and nature facts should love it.