Here are 16 books that The Magic School Bus at the Waterworks fans have personally recommended if you like
The Magic School Bus at the Waterworks.
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I never thought much about what makes our cities habitable until I started doing research for The Great Stink. But learning about sewers and wastewater treatment (Theyâre surprisingly interesting!) turned out to be the beginning of a fascination with other types of city infrastructure that I had previously ignored. Kids have a natural fascination for infrastructure of all kinds, but I was surprised when I couldnât find any lists of picture books that group different types of city infrastructure together. So, I made one. I hope you and your little ones like these books as much as I did, and I hope you find many similar books to enjoy!
A nonfiction book in rhyme for the very young, Roadworkdoes double duty as a fun read-aloud with plenty of Onomatopoeia (Bump! Whump! Whop!) and an educational book about the road building process. The book takes readers all the way from planning the road and marking it on the map to planting trees, installing signs, and celebrating a job well done. (Toot! Honk! Vroom!) Kids will love the colorful illustrationsâespecially all the trucksâand even parents might learn a thing or two about how we build our roads. A page of âMachine Factsâ towards the back of the book describes each truck or tractor seen throughout the book and gives a quick explanation of what the machines do.
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author picked
Roadwork
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This book is for kids age
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What is this book about?
Load the dirt. Load the dirt. Scoop and swing and drop. Slam it down into the truck. Bump! Whump! Whop!
There are many big machines and busy people involved in building a road, and this riveting board book follows them every step of the way. From clearing a pathway (screek!) to rolling the tar (squelch!) to sweeping up at the end (swish!), Roadwork is sure to delight young truck-lovers with its rambunctious rhymes and noisy fun.
In 1894, Annie Cohen Kopchovsky set out to ride her bicycle. Not to the market. Not around the block. Not across town. Annie was going to ride her bike all the way around the worldâbecause two men bet no woman could do it. Ha!
This picture book, with watercolor illustrationsâŚ
I never thought much about what makes our cities habitable until I started doing research for The Great Stink. But learning about sewers and wastewater treatment (Theyâre surprisingly interesting!) turned out to be the beginning of a fascination with other types of city infrastructure that I had previously ignored. Kids have a natural fascination for infrastructure of all kinds, but I was surprised when I couldnât find any lists of picture books that group different types of city infrastructure together. So, I made one. I hope you and your little ones like these books as much as I did, and I hope you find many similar books to enjoy!
This was one of my favorite books of 2021. First published in South Korea (where it was a bestseller), I Am the Subway takes readers on a subway ride through Seoul, narrated by the subway itself. âI rattle and clatter over the tracks. Same time, same route every day. Carrying people from one place to anotherâŚ.â We see the passengers get on and off the subway. We hear the subway soundsâba-dum, ba-dumâ and we catch an intimate glimpse into the lives of the people who step on board. I Am a Subway is an unexpectedly beautiful meditation on the many people we cross paths with each day as we make our way through the city.Â
A cinematic journey through the Seoul subway that masterfully portrays the many unique lives we travel alongside whenever we take the train. A poetic translation of the bestselling Korean picture book.
I never thought much about what makes our cities habitable until I started doing research for The Great Stink. But learning about sewers and wastewater treatment (Theyâre surprisingly interesting!) turned out to be the beginning of a fascination with other types of city infrastructure that I had previously ignored. Kids have a natural fascination for infrastructure of all kinds, but I was surprised when I couldnât find any lists of picture books that group different types of city infrastructure together. So, I made one. I hope you and your little ones like these books as much as I did, and I hope you find many similar books to enjoy!
What I love about this book is that instead of focusing on the engineers, architects, artists, and other high-profile designers who tend to get the credit for creating so much of what we see in our citiesâit focuses on the laborers who take their plans and make them a reality. Someone Builds the Dream will get kids (and their parents) thinking more about the building process and the people who spend their days putting together the parts of the many buildings, bridges, fountains, and other structures that come together to create a city. Young children will love the rhyming text and older ones will find much to wonder about as they scan the vibrant illustrations.
All across this great big world, jobs are getting done
by many hands in many lands. It takes much more than ONE.
Gorgeously written and illustrated, this is an eye-opening exploration of the many types of work that go into building our world - from the making of a bridge to a wind farm, an amusement park, and even the very picture book that you are reading. An architect may dream up the plans for a house, but someone has to actually work the saws and pound the nails. This book is a thank-you to the skilled women and menâŚ
The summer holidays have finally arrived and Scout canât wait for her adventure in the big rig with Dad. Theyâre on a mission to deliver donations of dog food to animal rescue shelters right across the state. Thereâll be dad-jokes, rock-collecting, and a brilliant plan that will make sure everyoneâsâŚ
I've been obsessed with the material aspects of places - and the infrastructures that make them work - since I was a really young boy! (I remember, aged around 7, sitting on a bridge over the M6 motorway near Preston watching the traffic). This obsession was channeled into studying Geography, becoming a qualified urban planner, and completing a Ph.D. on how digital technologies effect urban life. A preoccupation with the subterranean realms of cities is also long-standing; it drove the 'Below' parts of my 2016 book Vertical: The City From Satellites to Bunkers. (I must admit I suffer from both claustropobia and vertigo! So, sadly, a lot of my work is necessarily desk-based!)
Because the ground itself obscures virtually all of the subterranean worlds of cities, the best way to actually represent and visualise them is through drawings and diagrams.
This book opened my eyes â as it has done for many â to the complexity, density, and depth of the foundations, pipes, tunnels, conduits, and infrastructures below cities.
In it, David Macaulay uses his unequalled drawing skills to illustrate everything from sewer valves; skyscraper foundations; the worlds beneath manholes to an amazing cross-section of New York showing shipping lanes, deep transport tunnels, and huge skyscrapers whose hidden, deep pile foundations can be almost as deep as their above-surface structures.
David Macaulay takes us on a visual journey through a city's various support systems by exposing a typical section of the underground network and explaining how it works. We see a network of walls, columns, cables, pipes and tunnels required to satisfy the basic needs of a city's inhabitants.
I have been in love with the ocean, since I first visited Galveston at the age of five. The cadence of the waves and tide called to me in a way that is hard to explain, and every creature within simply mesmerized me. I read everything about the ocean that I could find, and I havenât stopped to this day. My book is fact-checked by two marine biologists as well, just to ensure that all of the information is accurate.
It is hard to think of your childhood without remembering The Magic School Bus. Both the books and the show were simply captivating and taught scientific concepts in a fun, engaging way that stuck with all of us. It is always my go-to when I am teaching science, and my kids absolutely adore watching or reading this series.
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Scholastic is re-releasing the ten original Magic School Bus titles in paperback. With updated scientific information, the bestselling science series ever is back!
The classroom is decorated as Dinosaur Land, but Ms. Frizzle-inspired by an archeological dig-craves a more authentic experience. The Magic School Bus turns into a time machine and transports the class back millions of years to an adventure where they learn about dinosaurs, their habitats and diets, and even a Maiasaura nesting ground.
When I worked as a middle school teacher, I surveyed more than 200 students how they felt about books that included sadness and grief. The overwhelming answer from the students was that while adults too often minimize their feelings and dismiss the validity of their heartache, books do not. Many young readers want books that are honest and raw enough not to shield them from the world, but to pay enough attention to its pain to light a path, knowing that they can keep moving forward in the dark when they feel less alone and less afraid.
I adored every single character in this book. Dan Gemeinhart is a master at pulling readers in by creating characters you want to spend time with and miss when you turn to its final page.
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise is a joyful journey of grief. Coyote and her dad have been traveling the American countryside in a refurbished school bus far from the tragedy of a car accident that killed Coyote's mother and two sisters. Expect to learn about resilience, bravery, and the necessity of facing hard emotions weâd rather outrun.
Five years. That's how long twelve-year-old Coyote and her dad, River, have lived on the road in an old school bus, criss-crossing the nation. It's also how long ago Coyote lost her mom and two sisters.
Coyote hasn't been home since, but when she learns that the park in her old neighbourhood is being demolished - the very same park where she, her mum, and her sisters buried a memory box - she devises a plan to get her dad to drive 3,600 miles back to Washington state.
On the way, they'll pick up an eclectic group of folks. LesterâŚ
Eleven-year-old Sierra just wants a normal life. After her military mother returns from the war overseas, the two hop from home to homelessness while Sierra tries to help her mom through the throes of PTSD.
I didnât always know that I wanted to be a doctor, perhaps because there were no doctors in my family, and I did not even realize that I wanted to (or could) go to medical school until I was almost done with college. Once I did realize this, however, it became immediately obvious to me that being a physician (a surgeon) was what I wanted to dedicate my lifeâs work to, and I have been passionate about it ever since. Probably the topics I am most passionate about after surgery are education, books, reading, poetry, etc., so this book lets both these passions dovetail beautifully!
This entire Magic School Bus series has also been a favorite of ours with our kids. I love the way that the bus goes inside of the human body and gets up close and personal with the cells of the human body. I remember thinking about how it made the difficult-to-see and -imagine immune system easy to picture in the mind of the reader.
THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS PRESENTS THE HUMAN BODY is a photographic nonfiction companion book to the original bestselling title, THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS INSIDE THE HUMAN BODY.
INSIDE THE HUMAN BODY taught thousands of kids about the incredible systems that work together to make the human body function. what makes us who we are. MAGIC SCHOOL BUS PRESENTS THE HUMAN BODY will expand upon the original title with fresh, updated Common Core-aligned content about our amazing bodies. With vivid full-color photographs on each page and illustrations of the beloved Ms. Frizzle and her students, the Magic School Bus Presents seriesâŚ
Iâm a picture book writer who struggles with anxiety. Some things that seem like no big deal to most people can become a very big worry for me (like Giraffe worries about Spider in It Will Be OK). I found that identifying and naming our emotionsâin this case fearâmakes it easier to address our feelings and work through them. I want to share my experience of being fearful of things, both big and small, with children to let them know they are not alone and they can have power over scary emotions.
As an expert worrier, I really related to this book about a spunky girl named Ruby who one day discovers a worry. What I love about this book is that the worry is illustrated, so we can see its intimidating facial expression and watch it grow in size. The worry follows Ruby to all her favorite placesâthe school bus, the swing set, the moviesâand it prevents her from doing what she loves. But itâs not until she spots another worry sitting with a boy that she is able to face her fear about the worry and do the best thing ever â talk about it. I love how this story shows children that talking about our feelings gives us power and strength to work through them.
The beloved picture book about what to do when a worry won't leave you at alone -- perfect for reassuring young readers in times of stress.
Meet Ruby -- a happy, curious, imaginative young girl. But one day, she finds something unexpected: a Worry. It's not such a big Worry, at first. But every day, it grows a little bigger . . . and a little bigger . . . . Until eventually, the Worry is ENORMOUS and is all she can think about.
But when Ruby befriends a young boy, she discovers that everyone has worries, and not onlyâŚ
Iâm Australian and thereâs a big place in my heart for Australian-set stories. I read mostly for escapism, but thereâs a deeper connection with tales from my own backyard. Iâve also always loved speculative fiction â everything from epic and paranormal fantasy to space opera and dystopian thrillers â and Iâm excited when my favourite genres and setting come together. My day job is in local government. Iâve seen how government decisions can impact the trajectory of a society, and Iâm particularly drawn to stories that explore that theme. Iâm the author of five speculative fiction novels with Australian settings: the four novels in The Rephaim series (supernatural fantasy) and The Undercurrent (slightly futuristic/pre-apocalyptic).
This book equally moved and unnerved me because its premise is all too possible. Itâs a brilliantly written end-of-the-world story with an understated sense of menace and an unmistakable Australian flavour.Â
The novel offers an intimate and fascinating first-person view of what happens to a ânormalâ neighbourhood when life as we know it irrevocably changes â in this case through a nuclear winter. Often, apocalyptic/dystopian stories skim over the transition from order to chaos/social breakdown, and Claire handles it in a way thatâs unsettling by its understatement.
I cared deeply about these characters. And while this novel is gritty, itâs also a story of hope and what it means to survive.Â
This haunting dystopian novel thrillingly and realistically looks at a nuclear winter from an Australian perspective.
For Fin itâs just like any other dayâracing for the school bus, bluffing his way through class, and trying to remain cool in front of the most sophisticated girl in his universe. Only itâs not like any other day because, on the other side of the world, nuclear missiles are being detonated. When Fin wakes up the next morning, itâs dark, bitterly cold, and snow is falling. Thereâs no internet, no phone, no TV, no power, and no parents. Nothing Finâs learned in schoolâŚ
Zeni lives in the Flint Hills of Southeast Kansas. This tale begins with her dream of befriending a miniature zebu calf coming true and follows Zeni as she works to befriend Zara. Enjoy full-color illustrations and a story filled with whimsy and plenty of opportunity for discussions around the perspectivesâŚ
Iâm the author of funny-bone tickling and heartwarming picture books, Halloween Hustle and Prince and Pirate. My newest book, Dream Submarine, is a lyrical bedtime story that blends fiction and nonfiction and invites young readers on a journey through the world's oceans (Candlewick, 2024). Language Arts teacher turned writer, I'm passionate about literacy and love visiting schools and libraries to connect with my favorite peopleâkids! My books and all the perfectly piratey tales on this list are best when read aloud!
When a little boy boards the school bus for the very first time, heâs terrifiedâuntil the bus driver whispers, âThis isnât a school bus, itâs a pirate ship!â I think itâs terrific when stories sweep readers in and invite them to use their imagination. Equally terrific is the way the characters join together to turn first-day jitters into a journey on the high seas. Illustrations, cleverly inspired by childrenâs artwork (which I love!), are the perfect partner for this kid-centric story
In this follow-up to It's Not a Bed, It's a Time Machine, a young boy is worried about the bus ride to his first day of school. Who will he sit with on the bus? How will he make friends?
The bus driver knows the first day of school is intimidating, and she has a secret to share: This is not a school bus - it's a pirate ship! And its pirate crew has one motto: "All for fun and fun for all!"
The boy sets sail with his classmates on an epic adventure - making new friends and vanquishingâŚ
