The Magic School Bus and the Butterfly Bunch

Magic School Bus Science Readers

by Kristin Earhart, Carolyn Bracken (Illustrator)

Based on the "Magic School Bus" books written by Joanna Cole and illustrated by Bruce Degen.

Genres: Science, Picture Books, Animals, School, Childrens, Nonfiction, Humor

32 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2010

Reviews

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

She loves butterflies.

[K Morlando · Rating 5 out of 5]

We love the magic school bus series of books, they are very educational!

[Margaret Heninger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always fun!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. It took an educational topic, the life cycle of butterflies, and made it interesting and relatable by having the children live as butterflies. It talked about them hatching, eating leaves, crawling around as caterpillars, molting, hatching from a cocoon, flying around as a butterfly, eating, and using camouflage to escape from a bird. I would read this if we found a cocoon and wanted to hatch it or when we were learning about butterflies.

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/bo...
Interest Level
Grades K - 3
Reading Level
Grade level Equivalent: 2.2
Lexile® Measure: 290L
DRA: 20
Guided Reading: L
Genre
Informational
Comedy and Humor
Series
Theme/Subject
Elementary School
Insects

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love the mischief that Ms. Frizzle always gets her class into in the name of Science. This is a wonderful addition to a unit on life cycles when introducing butterflies. I can see using it to introduce out butterfly study, and then letting the students see the changes as our own caterpillars grow and change. The entire Magic School Bus series is a great addition to any unit of study for young children. They can let their imaginations run wild, and picture themselves as one of the students in Ms. Frizzle's class. I am sure that they all wish they had a teacher like her, I know that I would. I will have as much of this series as I can in my own classroom library.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this book would be really good for any kid who is interested in butterflies or if they were learning about butterflies in class. It was full of information, but was kept entertaining as well because the kids in the story were turning into butterflies after being a caterpillar, so it showed the life cycle of the butterfly through the children. Overall, a great informational book put into a form of a story so the kids will enjoy it more.

[Andrea Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Magic School Bus is a favorite of many children and this book is no different. Mrs. Frizzle takes her class on adventure to explore butterflies and the students become butterflies themselves. There is great science content language such as molting which is the shedding of a caterpillars skin. This a great book to learn about butterflies for young children.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms. Frizzle is at it again. The class is heading out on the Magic Butterfly Bus to discover how the transformation of a caterpillar to a butterfly occurs. This book would be great to use in a science unit about butterflies. It would help the students visualize what takes place during the process. I would use this book with first or second graders.

[Elines Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a kid, I would look forward to watching The Magic School Bus after school. Reading this book brought up memories of the wacky Mrs. Frizzle and her quest for knowledge in the natural world. Personally, while enjoying the book, I would not consider it to be high quality children’s literature. However, it may be a great as an introduction into the topic of butterflies.

[Hollee Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always think the Magic School Bus brings a fun element to learning. Any topic they discuss always helps children become engaged. Even though these books aren't the best literature out there, I think it still helps students learn. It could be a great introductory book on a lesson about butterflies.

[Sherry Thornberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was packed with all kinds of butterfly facts. I didn't know most of them. I liked the way the kids became butterflies and really got to know all about them in that way. I didn't know cater;pillars molted until I read this book. I also like the way this book tries to put a little magic in learning. We caould all use a little illusion of magic in this hectic day and age.

[Kelly Powell]

This book was very informative and used your imagination to think about if you were really going through the stages a butterfly goes through. The extra information on each page gives the reader the thoughts of other characters and fun facts. This would be a great book to introduce the topic of butterflies especially because there is a video that correlates with the book and your lesson.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another one of the famous Magic School Bus series. This book is packed with information about butterflies for students to learn from. It also incorporates vocabulary words that have to deal with a caterpillars transformation into a butterfly. Having sidebar thoughts in the text also allows students to decide what they want to read outside of the main paragraphs.

[Ashlyn Barker-Salyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book that incorporates science and factual information. Students who have seen the show or read several of the books might find these books easier to read because of their predictability. I would love to incorporate this series into science lessons!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great story to use during a science lesson. The kids would love to read this and imagine what it is like to be a butterfly. I always loved the Magic School Bus growing up and still think it is a great concept.

[Ashley Enlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I read this book, my memories with the Magic School Bus from when I was in elementary school flooded back. But I now see the informational text behind escaping every day words. I can see having the books for background information for a unit on butterflies.

[Brent Rogers · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is all about butterflies. The school bus turns into a butterfly. The students turn into caterpillars and the students become butterflies. I would use this book for imagination and exaggeration.

[Danelle Spicer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great series of books that are very informative but also interesting for children to read. This was about the students turning into butterflies and the phases that they go through to become butterflies.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

The magic school bus books are always fun for children to read because even though they are fiction, they are also informational. This book would be great for children to read to learn about the process of butterflies. Also, it would be a good book for learning new vocabulary words.

[Katie Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book to read to teach children about the lifecycle of a butterfly.

[Katie (Katrina) Means · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mrs. Frizzle's class is off to learn about butterflues. Full of facts and great illustrations. Good for most ages who want to learn all about butterflies.

[Megan Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms. Frizzle takes the class on a trip through the stages of becoming a butterfly. this would be a good book for a science lesson on butterflies.

[Alyssa Ricard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another classic! These books not only open the imagination but provide so much information! This one in particular teaches about butterflies, from their body parts, to their functions. It even touched on many different flowers. Always fun reading these aloud and then watching the clips! A childhood memory I will always cherish!