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Magic School Bus TV Tie-Ins

El autobus magico Explota / The Magic School Bus Blows Its Top: Un Libro Sobre Volcanes / A Book About Volcanoes

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Visits an underwater volcano that eventually creates an island

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

9 people are currently reading
517 people want to read

About the author

Gail Herman

77 books1 follower
Creative storyteller and arts consultant Dr. Gail N. Herman has performed and taught storytelling extensively throughout the United States, as well as in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Jamaica, Germany, Ghana, India, and the Virgin Islands. Besides performing for students in schools and libraries, Dr. Herman works with teachers and helping professionals to infuse storytelling and the kinesthetic, musical, and spatial aspects of learning into reading and other curriculum areas of our schools. She teaches for Lesley University, MA, Garrett College, MD, and The University of Connecticut (CONFRATUTE) in CT. Gail has directed the Tall Tale Liar’s Festival in MD for 16 years.

Dr. Herman has conducted hundreds of in-service storytelling workshops. She also teaches art appreciation through stories, sound, and gesture as a guest in classes at George Mason University and Maryland Institute, College of Art and at the University of Connecticut. She presents many storytelling workshops and keynotes to state educational and other organizations such as LANES, NSN, Confratute, NAEYC, NAGC, and AEGUS.

She was an invited keynoter at St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, and the New Ways Of Learning: Spotlight on the Multiple Intelligences Conference sponsored by Zephyr Press in Tucson, AZ. She performed at the Albert Schweitzer Symposium at the United Nations in NYC, at the Chautauqua Institute in Chautauqua, NY, the WV Storytelling Festival, the Harvest Moon Festival in WV, and the Northeast Storytelling Festival in Historic Gettysburg.

Dr. Herman worked as a consultant with Dr. Patricia Hollingsworth on four education grants to train teachers to work with economically disadvantaged students with high potential at the University school in Tulsa. Her job was to infuse the kinesthetic arts and storytelling into the curriculum. Dr. Herman also worked as an enrichment consultant and storyteller in Cherry Creek Schools and Littleton Schools near Denver, Colorado. She works with Drs. Joseph Renzulli and Sally Reis at the University of Connecticut for the institute/conference called CONFRATUTE, where she teaches storytelling and movement applications to the classroom as well as Primary Grade Enrichment (with Dr. Susan Baum).

Dr. Herman has received many grants including a Laurel Arts Grant, Bluemont Concert Series, local Arts Council Grants, MD and WV Humanities Council grants, and MD State Arts Council Residency and Artist in Education (AIE) grants. She continues her work on Coal Talk Oral Histories. Most recently she received a grant from MBEC to collect stories in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

Dr. Herman taught at WVU as Visiting Assistant Professor, was a primary grade teacher, and a gifted and early childhood teacher for over thirteen years. She taught in the New Jersey, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Maryland public schools. She was a regular classroom teacher, a Helping Teacher, and an Enrichment Teacher. She has taught learning disabled, underachieving, as well as gifted students. Presently, she teaches at three colleges and universities in her specialized fields of education, storytelling, creative arts in learning, gifted education, and early childhood curriculum.

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5 stars
1,180 (56%)
4 stars
464 (22%)
3 stars
377 (18%)
2 stars
40 (1%)
1 star
15 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
Profile Image for SaraKat.
1,979 reviews38 followers
November 20, 2017
The MSB books that are based on episodes of the television series are not as good as the original books, but it did discuss volcanoes on the ocean floor accurately. The wit is not as sharp and the illustrations aren't as detailed. I think children would like it, but it isn't as entertaining for adult readers. :)
Profile Image for Hana.
97 reviews2 followers
February 20, 2019
There is a new island that started with a volcano! Liz the lizard landed there first!
Profile Image for Emily Orton.
40 reviews2 followers
September 16, 2020
This book was very good! It was a fun read and very informational on volcanoes. I would read this to my class when discussing plate tectonics, the earth, and all about volcanoes!
33 reviews
November 18, 2021
Disappointing - this particular book is based on the TV series and it just isn't as good as the original book series.
27 reviews
November 28, 2012
This book series by Joanna Cole is a fun and adventurous way to get students interested in science and educational topics. In this particular book, Ms. Frizzle's students are piecing together a huge globe of the world but don't have every piece so it falls apart. This happens because there is a new island that hasn't been discovered yet so of course the class takes a field trip. They travel into the ocean and come across an underwater volcano which they soon learn will be an adventure for them. As they travel inside the volcano they learn the concept of plate tectonics and how they shift and also the material and things that volcanoes form. Once this volcano erupts they know have a new island and the students have learned how this is done. The Magic School Bus has been one of my favorite children's books series since I was a child. I always loved the adventures and the idea of a school bus being able to transform as it does and take the students wherever they want. I was always able to grasp concepts better using these books and the TV series because I could visually see it. I feel that these books are great to use in the classroom for projects and just for students to read. I would recommend these books for K-2nd graders. If using in Kindergarten, I would use it as a read-aloud but the other grades could read it on their own. They are good resources for students to use when trying to learn about topics and they are enjoyable for students. I would recommend these books to any student.
63 reviews
September 19, 2012
I always loved the Magic School Bus series! So adventurous. What teacher or student wouldn't want their class to be as exciting?! This particular book, The Magic School Bus Blows It's Top, is all about volcanoes. The children are all so confused when Ms. Frizzle tells them that there is a new island that has yet to be discovered. They want to know more, they want to know how! So of course, Ms. Frizzle takes them on one of her famous field trips. Throughout this whole story, the students in Ms. Friz's class learn all about volcanoes and how the Earth is always changing, even when we do not notice it. This colorful, fun, and adventurous book takes students for a ride as the Magic School Bus goes inside of a volcano. Students learn about earthquakes, and Earth plates, and of course a volcano. After they are blown from the top of the volcano the lave, rocks, ash, magma cools down and the volcano grew bigger and bigger until it became an island. The Magic School Bus books are always fun and educational. They provide and interesting introduction into new topics of learning.
Profile Image for Rochelle Sondae.
610 reviews8 followers
May 22, 2014
The little guy visited me here at the toy store and requested I bring this book to read the next time I came to his house. He enjoyed it although he did have a lot of questions as to how the bus worked and why they were traveling the way they did. As I'm looking back over it I realize we didn't actually finish reading the book. I think we were interuppted by the lunch bell. His Nana runs a tight ship so when lunch is ready we have to stop which means I'll be taking this one back again at some point in the future. I think I'll wait a couple of months because althouh it says RL2 004-008 I feel it's meant for someone a bit older...probably closer to 5/6.
Profile Image for Stephanie Delvecchio.
47 reviews
April 25, 2010
Summary: Once again, Ms. Frizzle gets her class right in the "thick" of things--this time, they're right in the thick ooze of an underwater volcano's magma chamber! As Arnold and Carlos watch from a raft above, the Magic School Bus "erupts" with the magma and lava, and lands atop a brand-new island! Thank you amazon!

Themes: Volcanos, imagination, science, magic

Curricular uses: Read aloud, independent reading

Level: Ages 4-8
Profile Image for Little Miss and the Legomeister.
595 reviews4 followers
October 12, 2011
I love the Magic School Bus books. I've read quite a few over the years. Legomeister loved them a couple of years ago. He still checks them out sometimes, but he doesn't ask me to read them to him anymore. Now it's Little Miss who requests them.

The Magic School Bus kids learn how an underwater volcano turns into and island.
44 reviews1 follower
Read
April 21, 2010
title: The Magic School Bus Blows it's Top: A book about Volcanoes (information)
author: Gail Herman
illustrator: Bruce Degen
Publisher: First Scholastic Printing
date: 1996
summary: This book was a cute way to teach about volcanoes. You could use this in a lesson for teaching.
99 reviews1 follower
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April 11, 2011
I love The Magic School Bus series. When I become a teacher I hope my classroom is anywhere near that exciting. This is one of the many books in the series discussing volcanoes. The teacher really brings the topic to life with imagination.
Profile Image for Amber Pound.
107 reviews3 followers
April 10, 2013
I love all of the magic school bus books! They make science fun while still be very educational. They are easy to follow and give enough detail but not too much to overwhelm the kids. This books travels inside a volcano and shows how the lava is stored deep in the Earth!
Profile Image for Meredith Kaupp.
556 reviews9 followers
April 13, 2014
Compared to other Magic School Bus books, this one has fewer facts and much less information. Kids will probably have an easier tome with it because the focus is more on the narrative. It would be a good intro to the series.
Profile Image for Sarah A.
2,281 reviews20 followers
December 13, 2014
I found this Magic School bus book harder - not as much science, lots of teasing between the students and it was interesting they chose to talk about an under sea volcano instead of a land volcano. Still a good and interesting read with my little scientist though.
Profile Image for Frank.
176 reviews1 follower
May 11, 2009
Not Frank's favorite Magic School Bus book. It was okay...
4 reviews5 followers
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September 11, 2009
This book is a simple fun story that introduces some great main points and fun facts.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews

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