Title: Magic School Bus Science The Truth About Bats
Author: Eva Moore (no website found)
Publisher: Scholastic
Rating: WORTHY!
Illustrated by Ted Enik.
My kids used to love the Magic School Bus when they were younger. This is the first print book I've had a chance to read based on the show, and it was a charmer. It's a chapter book with some very nice grey scale illustrations by Ted Enik. I love bats, so it was nice to see some solid science put out there about them, and some myths dispelled. The whole regular crew - Arnold, DA, Keesha, Phoebe, Ralphie, Tim, Wanda, and Ms Frizzle head out to Yosemite to check out the bats, and then go down to Texas to check out some more.
During the trip we get a host of bat facts and science info which is intelligently presented and accurate. We learn of endangered bat species and how to avoid endangering them further. The kids go camping in Yosemite and later travel to Austin, Texas to experience the massive flight of an estimated million bats from their home under the Congress Avenue Bridge, out into the night where they consume maybe 30,000 pounds of insects on a good night. It's a popular spectator sport!
Yes, the magic bus is a bit wild and crazy, and highly improbable at best, but it is very educational, and a fun way for kids to learn important stuff about nature. I recommend this book and would probably recommend any others in this series, too, judged by the quality of this one.
