We did a China unit in our co-op and I wish we’d had this book. It can be difficult to find out concrete and trustworthy information about China. This is a helpful source. ( )

I absolutely loved this book! I love any Magic School Bus story, but this one was so much fun to read. Not only was there a story line, but there was also a lot of fun facts about China on each page. Students would have a wonderful time reading this book while learning a lot about China. ( )

I had no clue that Ms. Frizzle went on historical adventures too! In this story, she heads to Imperial China, along with a few of her students. They find their way through a farmers' village in China, experience the life of a rice farmer, meet the Emperor, and still make it back in time for Chinese New Year's dinner. I love all the extra information that this story gives. Random facts about China. How to write in Chinese. Things that were invented in China. I learned so much from this short story.
The very last page tells all the things of this story that are inaccurate according to the real world. I would have students try to predict all the fact about China that were no correct. This is a story I would read before Chinese New Year. ( )

I absolutely love “Ms. Frizzle’s Adventures: Imperial China” by Joanna Cole. The Magic School Bus is such a great world to read about, and I love so many things about this book. First of all, I love that it is told by Ms. Frizzle’s point of view, because I want to be a teacher just like her, and I like to hear her side of the story. I also like that the book is laid out like a comic, with different strips and text bubbles. This makes it so fun to read and there is always a lot to look at. One of the extra features is a how-to on holding and using chopsticks! Another text box explains what a lion sculpture means in Chinese culture. The overall theme of the book is going back in time to learn about and appreciate ancient China. ( )

Ms. Frizzle's Adventures: Imperial China, from the creators of Magic School Bus, serves as a wonderful first foray into Chinese culture. There is a fictional narrative which intertwines with various facts and information regarding China. The book seems less dense and thus more manageable than some of the Magic School Bus books, yet provides ample information. The comic book style of the book is both visually appealing and easy to read. The current,progressing, fictional story line runs across the top of the pages, while facts and figure ranging from how to read Chinese to using chopsticks and planting rice, is segregated in a panel at the bottom of the page. The nonfictional element usually occur in step by step 'how to' frames.
The content is balanced. The author veers away from comparing The East and The West, and rather celebrates what makes China great. Throughout the book, the author enumerates the creativity of Chinese art and inventions via vivid examples. In the back of the book is a page which serves as a disclaimer, stating that lots of information was left out and that the authors took liberties with some facts. The best part of the book was the prompting to continue fact finding about China in other books. ( )