From: Debbie Reese <d-reese>
Date: Wed, 13 Nov 1996 09:10:18 -0600 (CST)

Good morning!

When I read "children's science books" I immediately thought of the Magic School Bus series, which is gaining in popularity, it seems, in response to the public television series. The CD ROMS are incredible.

My 5 year old daughter and her friend love the books, tv show, and CD-ROMS. She has learned many facts, sharing them with us at appropriate times. For example, we were driving across the country, listening to the radio, when there was a reference to Saturn's moons. Elizabeth said "16 - Saturn has 16 moons." My husband and I certainly did not have that fact stored away (and, I may even have the wrong number of moons here, I don't retain such info).

When reading the Magic School Bus books to her - which I hate to do at bedtime, they seem too disjointed - Elizabeth wants to know what each block of text says. She wants me to point at each person as I read their words. She seems to give equal attention to the illustrations and text. This has been the case since she was 4 years old.

The author/illustrator team of this series (Joanna Cole and...) seem to do a good job of combining fiction with nonfiction. Certainly, they appeal to young children. I recall reading somewhere that they do a lot of research on each book.

Debbie Reese


 

    Debbie Reese Doctoral Student Early Childhood Education Dept. of Curriculum and Instruction University of Illinois
Received on Wed 13 Nov 1996 09:10:18 AM CST