The Magic School Bus Weathers the Storm (Scholastic Readers)

I assume your little ones love the original Magic School Bus series and have perhaps discovered the new Netflix series, The Magic School Bus rides again. Now it’s time to get them reading!We own an entire shelf of Magic School Bus books. We have every type there is. Here are my recommendations:You want to BUY the large rectangular books because they are loaded with tons of additional science facts presented in an interesting manner. Here are the titles:The Magic School Bus at the WaterworksThe Magic School Bus Inside the EarthThe Magic School Bus Inside the Human BodyThe Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar SystemThe Magic School Bus on the Ocean FloorThe Magic School Bus in the Time of the DinosaursThe Magic School Bus Inside a HurricaneThe Magic School Bus Inside a BeehiveThe Magic School Bus and the Electric Field TripThe Magic School Bus Explores the SensesThe Magic School Bus and the Science Fair ExpeditionThe Magic School Bus and the Climate ChallengeYou want to AVOID the square books because they are nothing more than a rehash of the episodes. Think of them as a novelization of the individual episodes. Nothing extra, nothing special. I am not going to include a list of titles because there are so many of them, but a sample title is The Magic School Bus Blows Its Top.The Scholastic Reader Level 2 books are good for the youngest readers, but again nothing compares to the large rectangular books. You will have to read those with your reader if s/he is at this reading level, but totally worth it.The Chapter Books are good, similar to the Magic Treehouse series. I can recommend these books in theory, but in practice my kids were far more interested in (you guessed it) the large rectangular books. The Science Fact Finder Books (of which there are only three: bats, skeletons, field trip facts) are similar to the Magic Treehouse non-fiction books and are packed with relevant information.I like the Ms. Frizzle’s Adventures series, which finds a way to use the Magic School Bus format and apply it to history. There are only three books in this series:Imperial ChinaMedieval CastleAncient EgyptThere is also a series of books centered on Liz, but I am unfamiliar with those.BOTTOM LINE: If you want your kids to learn SCIENCE, get the large rectangular books. Have them watch the series (old and new). Note that there are also several tie-in science kits that are quite good.

My son is three years old and is in love with the Magic Schoolbus. He likes this book because it has simple concepts that he can understand, and I think it is helping him learn new words to add to his vocabulary. Top notch adaptation on this popular series.