Book Description
for The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Ms. Frizzle and her class are at it again, this time studying climate change. In order to prepare for a play they will be performing on global warming, the students climb aboard the Magic School Bus and embark on a classic Frizzle field trip, defying the boundaries of space and time in the name of learning. The Friz and her students venture to the Arctic to witness glacial melting, move south to understand the causes of climate change, and finally visit places where people are using alternative forms of energy. The students then research initiatives to counter global warming, briefly examining the pros and cons of each. By providing basic and relevant information on the topic, author Joanna Cole successfully describes global warming in a child–friendly, accessible way. Paired with Bruce Degen’s familiar artwork—including dialogue bubbles, paneling, and handwritten student reports—this addition to the “Magic School Bus” series is a terrific overview of climate change and its implications for the future. (Ages 7–10)
CCBC Choices 2011. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2011. Used with permission.