Date: Fri 06-Sep-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Illustration: C

Location: A11

Quick Words:

Frizzle-Magic-Bus-Cole-Degen

Full Text:

(rev "Magic School Bus Inside A Beehive," prev book signing event, 9/6/96)

Bee Prepared For Anything-

Latest Cole-Degen Magic School Bus Collaboration Could Create Quite A Buzz!

(with photos)

By Shannon Hicks

Science teacher Ms Frizzle is a little over the top. She dresses outrageously

- nothing scandalous, just very exuberant - and she never seems to stay in the

classroom for very long. An excitable lady who loves science and revels in

teaching, she takes her students on wildly imaginative class trips, from the

ocean floor to the time of the dinosaurs. The students and their teacher have

gone inside the earth, a hurricane and the human body, have visited the

waterworks and even went back to the time of the dinosaurs.

Imagine waking up one morning and going to school, only to find out during

science class that you and your fellow students are going to explore the solar

system. Ms Frizzle's students have done all that and more.

This month, with the help of the group's amazing mode of transportation - the

Magic School Bus - Ms Frizzle and her students will shrink in size, become

bees (as will their bus) and visit a beehive in their latest adventure, The

Magic School Bus Inside A Beehive . The Magic School Bus, which looks like a

full-size yellow schools when it is not metamorphosizing, has the capability

to change shape and size, depending on where class trips will lead.

Ms Frizzle is the wonderful creation of author Joanna Cole and illustrator

Bruce Degen. The collaborative team, both of whom live in Newtown with their

families, have been writing about Ms Frizzle and her adventurous students for

ten years. Cole is the author, Degen the illustrator.

When Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen launched the Magic School Bus series in 1986,

they had a simple formula: Take science-related subjects many kids find

boring, and make them fun. The formula remains the same today, as the

author-illustrator collaborative team celebrate the tenth anniversary of their

multi-million selling book series.

In their latest adventure, Ms Frizzle and her now-familiar class of students -

among them, Florrie, Arnold, Wanda, Dorothy Ann, Ralph and Phoebe - are

studying insects when Ms Frizzle announces she has located a beekeeper who

would show the class his beehives.

Onto the Magic School Bus the students go, thinking for once they just might

be going on a "normal" field trip. But when Ms Frizzle opens a jar of honey

while at the driver's seat and accidentally knocks her elbow against "a

strange little lever," the adventure begins! The bus, the students and their

teacher all begin shrinking, and before anyone can stop it all, the bus has

become a little beehive and everyone has become bees.

Taking advantage of their situation, Ms Frizzle and the students proceed to

visit and live in a beehive among bees. This is definitely a Magic School Bus

experience, with Ms Frizzle's students - both those in the book and the ones

reading it - learning with every turn of the page.

The Book Review in Newtown will host an author-illustrator book signing on

Saturday, September 7, with Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen. The appearance is to

celebrate the latest Magic School Bus release by Scholastic, Inc. (New York

City). Joanna and Bruce will be at the book store/cafe from 1 to 3 pm.

Joanna writes the stories, making a "dummy" with all the text, word balloons

and school reports found throughout every book, and then Bruce draws the

pictures. The two discuss the books, but they do most of their work through

their editor, even though only a few miles separate their homes.

"I write it first, and then we discuss it," Joanna said in a 1995 interview

for The Newtown Bee . "I don't give the text [directly] to Bruce, and he

doesn't give the pictures to me, because that's the way it works in publishing

all the time."

"The thing is, Bruce and I are unusual in that we have become such good

friends." The two appear at a lot of author appearances together and with the

two families living in such proximity, friendships have been built.

Joanna Cole wrote her first book in 1969. Before becoming a children's writer,

she was an elementary school teacher, a librarian and a children's book

editor. She has always been fascinated with science, and wanted to combine her

knowledge and enjoyment of the subject with an accessible, understandable

format for children.

Likewise, Bruce Degen has been able to turn a childhood love into his career.

The illustrator, who has written and illustrated several books (he did both

for Jamberry and Sailaway Home ; and illustrated Nancy White Carlstrom's Jesse

Bear books and Jane Yolen's Commander Toad series, among others), has loved

art ever since he was a child growing up in Brooklyn, NY. When he wasn't

painting, Bruce could be found reading books about bears, fantasy and science

fiction.

His life has seen him working for advertising agencies, painting scenery for

opera productions and teaching art to high school students. But it was the

kind of drawings found in children's books he always found himself pulled

towards.

Joanna says "The Friz," as the students sometimes call their red-headed,

frizzy-haired teacher (with respect), is a composite of science teachers she

had while growing up in East Orange, NJ. Bruce's vision of Ms Frizzle comes

from memories of a 4'10" frizzy-haired blonde geometry teacher he had in tenth

grade.

Magic School Bus books use a unique presentation to get all of Joanna's ideas

across, fusing her thoughts and Bruce's inkings. Pages are covered with all

kinds of things, from school reports by Ms Frizzle's students to file cards

and word balloons with what teacher and students say to each other, covering

every available inch of space.

The books' target audience are readers between the ages of 6 to 9. However,

preschoolers have enjoyed the story lines and colorful, creative presentation,

and older kids are able to absorb more of the science facts.

The picture book science series has sold over 15 million copies to date. A

critical and popular success throughout its existence, Magic School Bus books

appear regularly on Publishers Weekly children's best-seller lists. The series

has been named by The New York Times as among the top fifteen best-selling

children's book series.

A "Magic School Bus" series produced by Scholastic Productions on PBS is

heading into its third series, having already been lauded for its innovation

and educational value. "The Magic School Bus" was the first fully-animated PBS

series. Like the books, the children's series helps illuminate simple science

concepts for children.

After the show's first season, Lily Tomlin was awarded a Daytime Emmy Award

for her energetic portrayal of Ms Frizzle. For the third season, Scholastic

has already announced plans for an episode about honeybees. In addition, while

the first and second seasons were aired once a week, beginning with the new

season, "The Magic School Bus" will be seen daily nationwide.

Magic School Bus books are available in Spanish translations, along with their

hardcover and paperback editions. The PBS series has spawned a set of TV

tie-in books. There are also home videos from WarnerVision, and a line of

Hasbro educational toys.

Ms Frizzle isn't about to slow down, either. Regular readers of the series

already know that to get an idea of what the next Magic School Bus series

might have in store for them, all they need to do is look at the outfit the

impassioned teacher is wearing on the closing page of each Magic School Bus

book.

Sure enough, closing the pages of The Magic School Bus Inside A Beehive ,

there's Ms Frizzle with Beekeeper Bob and the Queen Bee, hosting a tea party

and wearing... well, you should follow the beehive adventure for yourself to

see how it ends.

Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen will be signing copies of The Magic School Bus

Inside A Beehive at The Book Review, Sand Hill Plaza (Route 25/Main Street

South) in Newtown on Saturday, September 7, from 1 to 3 pm.