The Magic School Bus: Inside the Human Body (Hardcover)

~ Joanna Cole (Author), Bruce Degen (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ms. Frizzle shepherds her reluctant students through the human body in a book that is as fancifully conceived as it is educational. Ages 6-9.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4-- Time to board the Magic School Bus again with that wild, wacky, and wonderful teacher, Ms. Frizzle. After she teaches her class about the human body and they visit the science museum, Mrs. Frizzle shrinks the bus and the class--except Arnold, who swallows them. This gives Cole and Degen the chance for two parallel stories, inside and outside of Arnold. With the bus inside, Cole explains digestion from the stomach into the small intestines. Then the bus enters a blood vessel where readers can see the plasma, red and white blood cells, and the flow into the heart. From there the class, now out of the bus and garbed in operating room smocks and masks, flows with the blood cells, now with fresh oxygen, to the brain. They climb down the bones of the spine, follow nerves to see muscles work, and then finally catch up with the bus to emerge in the nasal cavity. Meanwhile on part of each facing page, Arnold has coped with being lost and alone and has made it back to the school. With an enormous sneeze he sends the bus out to join him in the parking lot. The class can now chart the body from actual experience. Cole concludes with a true-false test with answers to help readers distinguish reality from fantasy. As readers of the previous "Magic School Bus" books (Scholastic) know, this is an enjoyable look at factual material painlessly packaged with the ribbons and balloons of jokes and asides meant to appeal to kids. Degen's zany, busy, full-color drawings fill the pages with action and information far beyond the text. Using a variety of visuals, including notes, close-ups, and diagrams along with a variety of realistic kids, he moves the parallel stories to their conclusions. Kids will love this book. --Sylvia S. Marantz, Wellington School, Columbus, Ohio
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic (April 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590414267
• ISBN-13: 978-0590414265
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #618,632 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fifth Food Group: Magic School Buses, October 12, 2003

By	Children's Book Review (Nebraska) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body (Paperback)

Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen outdo themselves in "The Magic School Bus: Inside the Human Body." It is their most ambitious collaboration yet, and it definitely doesn't disappoint.

As is the custom, the third book in this science series (written in 1989) picks up where the second story left off. Ms. Frizzle is showing her students a filmstrip about the human body. "We're going to learn all about ourselves," she says. Then she announces the next field trip - the class is heading to the museum to "see an exhibit about how our bodies get energy from the food we eat." However, anyone who has even an inkling as to the kind of person Ms. Frizzle is should know that things rarely, if ever, go according to plan. A field trip is never just a field trip when you're taking a ride aboard her magic school bus.

The Friz and her students stop at a park for lunch before arriving at the museum. Afterward, everyone goes back to the bus . . . except for Arnold! He's still sitting at a picnic table, daydreaming and eating a bag of Cheesie-Weesies. And before the class realizes what is happening, the bus shrinks to the size of a Cheesie-Weesie . . . where it is promptly downed in one gulp by Arnold!

"I thought we were going to the museum," says one student.

"There's been a slight change of plans," explains Ms. Frizzle. "We're being digested instead."

Why visit an exhibit about the human body when you have a magic school bus and a teacher like Ms. Frizzle who can take you directly to the source?

If "At the Waterworks" was like priming the pump, and "Inside the Earth" was like getting the ball rolling, "Inside the Human Body" is like plowing full-steam ahead. Cole and Degen have firmly established themselves as a literacy force to be reckoned with; this is proven in the confidence of the writing and the boldness of the illustrations. There is so much going on in this story that you almost need a scorecard to keep track of it all. It seems as though Cole and Degen are bound and determined to one-up themselves with every book they come out with.

A list of some things Ms. Frizzle educates her class about would include: blood cells (red and white), blood vessels, digestion, germs, the heart, lungs, molecules, oxygen, plasma, the small intestine, etc. Do you know what villi are? You will after you read this book! Any idea what the cerebral cortex does? Ms. Frizzle will show you! Ever wondered why you sneeze? The answer resides in this story!

"Inside the Human Body" deserves just as much, if not more, a home on a person's bookshelf as does "At the Waterworks" and "Inside the Earth." Cole and Degen loaded their latest adventure to the bursting-point with information. You can see the growth author and illustrator have taken since their inaugural effort with "At the Waterworks." They prove that some things do, indeed, get better with age.

At the end of "Inside the Human Body" is a true-false test to help readers distinguish what things were true in the story and what things were made up. And, of course, Ms. Frizzle drops another clue as to where her next great adventure will take us. I'm pretty sure the class will think of their next field trip as out of this world!

It doesn't seem possible, but Cole and Degen managed to improve upon an already-winning formula. They are both in top form with "Inside the Human Body," a field trip that will take you from the brain to the small intestine and back again. Well, what are you waiting for? Hitch a ride on the magic school bus!

As Ms. Frizzle herself would say, "Seatbelts, everyone!"

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious, fantastic, fascinating, inventive education!, July 9, 2000

By	Kathleen (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body (Paperback)

I discovered these books when my son was 5 and we were in a trial year of homeschooling. Both of us were fascinated, by Ms. Frizzle, the magic shrinking bus, the fantastic field trips and funny Arnold.

The main text is good, the pictures are great and the comic book style conversations and binder paper reports on the sides of the pages are fabulous.

We both learned important things about the solar system, human body, water refineries, the earth and the ocean in a very fun, creative, imaginative and impressive way.

Read these books with any child you know, laughing and learning together!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My daughter loves Magic School Bus, June 18, 2003

By	Melissa Skordoulis (Jacksonville, NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body (Paperback)

My daughter is 3 1/2 years old. I got this book and wasn't sure if it would be to complicated for her. She loves it! I have ordered a few more Magic School Bus books and she can't get enough of them. She even drew a picture of her Daddy's red blood cells! It was hilarious. But best of all, she enjoys them so much. They are her favorite books and she is learning about science. I wish I had these when I was a kid.