Customer Reviews

The Magic School Bus Shows And Tells: A Book About Archaeology

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I liked reading this book, because it was easy to read and understand. I thought that the book was funny and interesting. The class had show and tell and Arnold brought something in to show that was very interesting. No one knew what it was. They try to find out what it is and where it came from by going on a trip with there teacher. By reading this book, you will find out what exactly happened on their trip and what it is what Arnold brought in for show and tell!
Brandon M.

I got this as supplemental reading from The Story of the World, Activity Book 1: Ancient Times - From the Earliest Nomad to the Last Roman Emperor, and glad I did. My 5-year-old loves this book, and I like that it demonstrates how to think like an archaeologist rather than just listing the facts creatively. Very well done.

From an archaeologist's point of view, that the "artifact" used for show and tell is a wood hoop with strings (and would not be preserved in most archaeological contexts) is the minor problem. The major problem is that Great Aunt Jane, the archaeologist, has an "artifact" in her trunk instead of in a curation facility. Ethical archaeologists do not keep the artifacts they find. The book could have Arnold find a replica made of one of Auntie's discoveries. In its favor, the book does emphasize "it's not what you find [i.e. the artifact] but what you find out" that's important.