Customer Reviews

Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor Big Book

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

At this point, Ms. Frizzle and her class have explored things like the waterworks, the many layers of the earth, the human body, and even outer space. So it's only natural that Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen would decide to lead their readers on an under-sea adventure. "The Magic School Bus: On the Ocean Floor" is another top-notch collaboration by two people who show no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Written in 1992, "On the Ocean Floor" picks up where "Lost in the Solar System" left off. Ms. Frizzle's students are working on their ocean science projects, which makes their teacher very happy. However, it makes them hot and tired; the temperature on this day is soaring!

"I wish we could go swimming," comments one student while putting the finishing touches on a display about how ocean animals swim.

"As a matter of fact, children," says the Friz, "I've been planning a class trip to the ocean for tomorrow."

And, just like that, the class - as well as the reader at home - is being whisked away on yet another magical field trip. The kids think they're just going to spend a day having fun in the sun, but Ms. Frizzle has other ideas!

"On the Ocean Floor" rivals "Inside the Human Body" for the amount of information - not to mention good-natured humor - packed into one 48-page book. Just about everything you can imagine - and anything you can't - is touched on in this compelling romp through the heart of the ocean. At the end of Ms. Frizzle's latest underwater voyage, you will have a better understanding of what hidden treasures abound in the deep blue sea.

Ms. Frizzle's class learns all about ocean life; the kids come across things such as barnacles, grunts, limpets, sponges, sugar kelp, tubeworms, and whelks. More familiar entities include coral reefs, dolphins, lobsters, plankton, sharks, tunas, and whales. The students explore high tides, low tides, continental shelves, continental slopes, the ocean floor, hot-water vents, and waves. And I'm only bobbing the surface of what Ms. Frizzle has lined up for her class.

The end of the book leaves us with two things: 1) a little quiz distinguishing what things were true in the story and what things were made up; and 2) another clue as to what the Friz's next adventure will entail. From the looks of it, her idea of a field trip is so old, it's practically prehistoric!

As so often happens, it is common for the things we love in life to grow stale. Rarely does a book series get better with age. But Cole and Degen have managed to do just that. With each "Magic School Bus" story they produce, the product becomes more polished. I had never heard of even half the things this tale delves into, and I thoroughly enjoyed absorbing myself in the read. "On the Ocean Floor" is yet another high-quality effort from two people who wouldn't settle for anything less.

The fifth book in this wonderful series is definitely a keeper, as are the four volumes that precede it. Do yourself a favor, and take a ride on the magic school bus!

As Ms. Frizzle herself would say, "Wahoo!"

Another triumph for the Magic School Bus series. The class takes a field trip to the ocean (not the beach; the ocean) where they learn about the wondrous creatures that live there. Everything from plankton to mammals, including the strange lifeforms around hot water vents, is touched on in this fabulous book. The inserts on each page from the kids' projects add valuable information. The science is current and presented in an entertaining and easy-to-understand manner. Even though the series is designed for older kids, my two-year-old loves the pictures and carries the book with him everywhere.

An unusual science teacher takes her students from the classroom into the ocean - physically. The school bus she drives plunges right into the water and transforms, as needed, from bus into submarine, submersible, and surfboard so that her class can reach and explore every part of the ocean. The expedition starts at the continental shelf and moves through continental slope, ocean floor, deep-sea vents and a fringing coral reef. On their way, they children find themselves magically equipped with diving suits and they can now study plants, ocean water, animals and their habitats.

This book is beautifully illustrated and entertains while teaching important information. Kids will love it.

Humorous, engaging, and packed with information, this best-selling science series is aptly illustrated with lively pictures. My kids adore the cartoon bubbles and short "reports" from the students in the story. Their teacher, Ms Frizzle, is an amazing character who challenges her pupils and leads them on amazing fieldtrips. Her equally fascinating wardrobe changes with each subject and situation. All this has made it a read-aloud favorite since my eldest was three. In ON THE OCEAN FLOOR, the inimitable school bus undergoes several transformations as it transports us to and through the ocean; from tidal pools, down to the deep ocean floor, and, after a brief visit to a tropical island, home. I was touched by the inclusion of a specimen of fish, well known in my home state of Hawaii. However, I must say OUR lifeguards are nothing like Lenny, who, unlike the rest of the book, is definitely lacking on several points. Real lifeguards patrol their strip of beach and keep watch over the waters from their perch. They also patiently answer my children`s questions about the local sea life (most recently, about jellyfish) and just as patiently patch up even the smallest of "boo-boos." Minus one star for Lenny.

These books are very complex. A lot of little "notations" accros the pages. My daughter is a little overwhelmed by it. More suitable for an 8 or 9 year old

I read this book for fun after we got it at a school auction. I love reading all the magic school bus books and this one was really funny! The kids were funny because they thought they got to play in the ocean but they really had to make discoveries on the ocean floor. I also liked the drawings! I suggest that other kids read this book!

My 6 yr old daughter discovered these books in Kindergarten and loves them. They're great fun to read together - children love reading the essays by Ms Frizzle's pupils while grown-ups read the main text. A very good introduction to basic science.

Ms. Frizzle is at it again! With her wacky field trip and real life science experiments, the class ventures to sea in Joanna Cole's The Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor. This integrated book of fantasy and nonfiction takes us past the beach and into some of the deepest parts of the ocean.
The book starts off with the students presenting their projects about the ocean in the classroom. Then Ms. Frizzle tells them that tomorrow they are taking a field trip to the beach. A field trip seemed to be an understatement when the bus drove past the parking lot and into the ocean, turning into a submarine. Lenny the Lifeguard joins them as they explore the different parts of the ocean.
Along the pages of the book, there are scientific facts that go along with the subject of that page, for example, when the bus is driving past the beach, there is a drawing about the tide pools and what exactly lives in one.
As the group goes scuba diving in the ocean, the classification of fish, crustaceans, plankton, and seaweed fill the pages. The class even dives down into the parts of the ocean where there is no sunlight, seeing these different and obscure looking fish that only live in the dark and deep places of the ocean. Soon, the group finds themselves over a coral reef, exploring the different habitat and the creatures that live in it. Then the bus turns into a surfboard where everyone rides the bus back to the shore.
At the end, the class creates new projects about the ocean, labeling the ocean and animals in it. Then at the end of the book is a multiple-choice test with the answers. This book is great for students 2nd grade and up who are looking to find cool information about the ocean and the animals that live in it. The Magic School Bus collection is a great reference for sparking enthusiasm for science in the classroom.

My daughter loves MSB books.... There is a lot of educational information within the stories.

A book that the primary children will love with great illustrations and information about the sea.