Nancy White (1) (1942–)

I really enjoyed this book in the Magic School Bus series. This book was an informational story on coral reefs. The story was very consistent with the style of the previous books. The students all go on a field trip to the coral reefs to experience what coral reefs are like and learn about them in person. I have always loved the concept of the Magic School Bus books and really find that children respond well to books like this and the Magic Tree House for learning about science or history show more that they may find boring from school or textbooks. This is a great reading tool to use in the classroom to get some of those kids interested in learning and reading. One thing that I like about this book in particular was that it did not include too many of the side paragraphs, dialogue bubbles and notes that these books usually had. I found that more appealing because it had better organization and looked less “busy” on the page than some of the other books in the series. The story was more condensed to the content and flowed better when reading the whole book through. Another specific aspect of this particular story that I enjoyed was the problem between Wanda, one of the students, and having partners for the project they must do. She has a hard time working together with other kids, which the readers can relate to if they are this type of student. However, by the end of the book, and after learning about how the coral reef can’t function without the relationships it has with the ecosystem, she realizes the importance of working together with her classmates. I thought that this was really endearing and a great take away from the book apart from all the information you learn. This book may be more appropriate for older children because there is a lot of scientific vocabulary: “According to my research, if the water around the coral reef becomes polluted, the polyps get rid of their algae partners.” Some younger readers might be able to understand parts of the story because there is help definitions and indexes to help readers identify some harder terms specific to this topic. show less

The Magic School Bus series is both a book and TV show series. It focuses on teaching students different science concepts through fun, interactive educational comedy. I have not read a Magic School Bus book in years until recently and now I remember why I enjoyed them so much growing up. This book focuses on Mrs. Frizzle’s class taking a trip to the coral reef. The students get to experience the reef in person and learn about the surrounding ecosystem. This book, and book series in show more general, is crucial for all early age teachers to have in the classroom. There is so much color and detail in all the pictures and extra textual features; students will want to read more! I love the fact there is not an overwhelming amount of text on each page, which means students, can easily follow along. The book focuses on how the coral reef needs to maintain its relationship with the ecosystem it is in otherwise it will die. That science lesson in also tied in to the moral of the story about Wanda and her difficulty with working with others. The book does a wonderful job of showing students that partners and teamwork helps – regardless if it is human relationship or a scientific relationship. The author did a wonderful job of tying scientific information with personal relationships – it helps the students relate to the book better. I highly recommend this knowledgeable book for all teachers because it will make your students excited to learn about science! show less

With my two cat-loving daughters at home, there was no way I could pass up this book. Author Nancy White and illustrator Gioia Fiammenghi created a super-cute, fun, interesting, and, of course, informative book about the wonder that is the cat. From the sweet and sometimes funny illustrations to the breakdown of why cats do what they do, this book presents an appropriate informational picture book that my kids just went nuts over. When I noticed that the publication date was 1997, I hoped show more that the book would not be overly 90s comedic...you know the bad references and corny dialogue that I can remember from books of this decade that I read with my baby sister. This book could have very well been printed yesterday nothing about it (except for the picture of a cat watching a box television set) really screamed "outdated and cheesy."
The book is not exactly broken down by chapters, but it is divided up by questions as sub-headings. Some examples are "Why do cats lick themselves so much?" and "Do cats really always land on their feet?" I worked at a vet clinic for six years and learned more about animals than I could have ever imagined, and this book still managed to teach me things that I did not know! And of course, the end of the book had to describe the story of a cat named Woody who goes to school, which then, of course, ensued with questions from my kids if I thought their teachers would let them have a class cat.
Interesting read for kids and adults, perfect length for a bedtime story, just enough information to create interest without bombarding the reader with too much text, and adorable illustrations to go along with it! show less

I have always enjoyed the magic school bus series. I remember reading/ watching them as a child. I could never get over what a "cool" teacher The Frizz was. Her outfits always matched the story. As a teacher, I have a new prospective on these books. I appreciate the unique way in which factual information is presented in these books. This Magic School bus story was great for my Space lesson, and kept the student engaged during reading. I recommend this and any other Magic School bus books.