From: Kathleen Horning <horning>
Date: Thu, 21 Nov 1996 13:46:00 -600

I was very interested to read Debbie Reese's comments about her experiences of reading "Magic School Bus" books aloud to her daughter. I have never been brave enough to attempt to read one aloud but I've looked at them closely to see how they "work."

There are generally three (and sometimes four) separate strands of narrative on every page, each strand giving a different level or type of information that is consistent throughout the book. Even though the books borrow some design techniques from comic books (dialogue bubbles, for instance), they really take it to another level by using the design to give the information an overall structure. In addition to dialogue bubbles that carry the story/fantasy element and make personal connections to the readers, there are the children's hand-written reports on various subjects that provide the science narrative and Ms Frizzle's lesson plans that function almost as end notes. There's really so much going on there, if you look at the books closely.

I'm curious as to how Debbie's daughter (or any child, for that matter) processes the information presented in such a complicated structure (at least to adults, anyway!). Are there any teachers out there who would care to share observations on how children approach these books and how they learn science?

KT Horning, CCBC UW-Madison
Received on Thu 21 Nov 1996 01:46:00 PM CST