Customer Reviews

the magic school bus inside the human body

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!"

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.

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!

Ms. Frizzle is taking her class on a memorable field trip through the human body in this entertaining book featuring the beloved eccentric teacher and her curious class. My only complaint is that the pages are so busy with information that it's impossible to sit and really read the whole book, but perhaps it's best to let a child's curiosity guide you through a number of readings rather than trying to get everything in at one sitting. Concepts are expressed clearly and with humor. Justly popular with young students.

My son likes this book. It gives some good insights into germs and our bodies. he likes the entires Magic School Bus series - but this is one of his favorites. An easy read before bedtime - just the right length.

I bought this for my three going on four year old daughter because she has been asking me about different body parts, particularly about eyes, the heart and bones. She can't seem to get enough about bones. So I checked out a few great books at the library but her interest outlived the month we had the books so I decided to purchase a few. This book had great reviews and I like it, it just is a little too complex and a bit over her head at this age.

This book is really out of this world. I have been hooked on the magic school bus series. I can't wait to read more books in the series. The inside the human body book is full with very interesting facts and I learned so much from reading it. Arnold doesn't know where the bus is and is trying to find it. He doesn't even know that it is actually inside him. Then Arnold sneezes and finds the bus right next to him. He doesn't understand how he didn't see it before.

I love the magic school bus books and have started collecting them. They're easy to read, wonderful characters and give factual information about various topics. This book series/TV series and Bill Nye the Science guy made learning science fun for me and I hope my kids will love this series as well.

My kids and i love this book!! it explains the parts of the body and their functions very clearly. when i'm reading to the older ones or all of them i read all the comments and reports along the sides, when i'm just reading to the little ones (3, 1) i read just the text since that's about how much time they have patience for! and my kids get a huge kick out of the fact that the bus goes into a real person in this one.

I love this series. And more importantly, my 6 year old does, too. This Magic School Bus adventure is another hit. The Frizz and her school kids miss a few organ systems in their tour of the body, but its a good first visit. I'd love to see a return trip. Among the highlights of this book (and the entire Magic School Bus series) is that it works if you read just the main tale and dialogue, but it gets even richer if you read all the other stuff on the pages, too.