Imperial China

My children have always loved the Magic School Bus series of science books for their fun and interesting presentation of facts. Now Ms. Frizzle visits Imperial China and the results are as fun and informative as ever. My kids really enjoyed this book.

In a perfect world, all teachers would be like Ms Frizzle--innovative, creative, fun, entertaining, challenging, and totally free-spirited! Ms Frizzle has no rules, no plan like NCLB to follow. She is free to take her students on the best learning expeditions! And such a small class! But this is not a perfect world. This is a fantasy, but what a great fantasy: "Ms Frizzle's Adventures: Imperial China," a rare social studies trip instead of the usual Magic School Bus into some world of science. The Magic School Bus series is part of those wonderful children's books that begin with the end pages--in this case, Chinese illustrations--and look, there are Ms Frizzle and her pet dragon. We meet Ms Frizzle and four of her students studying Chinese scrolls on the title page, flying a kite on the dedication page. Her Chinese student Wanda invites Ms Frizzle for New Year's Eve at her house. Of course, as they are walking along the streets of Chinatown, they walk back 1000 years to China to the time of Wanda's ancestors. This will be a grand Ms Frizzle adventure. They will see places, experience the culture, learn new things--all in a colored picture story. In a separate column across the bottom of both pages are blocks of historical "sound bites"-- Silk, paper, umbrellas, dragons, chopsticks, lanterns, writing, tea, compass, the Great Wall, fireworks, jade, and so on. Illustrated children's books are not just for children, especially adventures with Ms Frizzle, that talented, inspiring teacher in her trademark dresses that designate the adventure!

My son and daughter, ages 7 and 10, enjoy this book. The illustrations are very detailed and the book is loaded with interesting facts about the country. I highly recommend this book for kids with inquiring minds.

Great book in the world of Magic School Bus. We loved it. I loved the facts about China written all over the book. Read over & over in our house!

I bought this book for my first-grade son, who is a huge Magic School Bus fan, but usually not all that interested in social studies. He found this book very interesting, and we have re-read it many times. The book is in a larger format than the original Magic School Bus series, which leave more room for all of the sidebar explanations that typify these books. Cole and Degen explain processes, like growing rice and making silk, that are easy for kids to follow, and may teach the adults a thing or two. A common thread through the whole book is a list of things that the ancient Chinese invented before the West, another point that may teach adults something new. The plot is a little silly, but it made my son and I giggle. All in all, it's great fun, and a nice way to introduce kids to Chinese culture. Teachers could read it to a class, then delve more deeply into subjects that they want to pursue.