By: Joanna Cole (Author), Bruce Degen (Illustrator),  蒲公英童书馆 (Translator)   
Originally Published in: United States
Format: Paperback
Language: Simplified Chinese
Pages per book: 32
Pages per book: $2.98
Lines per page: 3-6
Luka® can read these books!

Translated from the English version as a Level 2 Reader (桥梁版/bridge book), these 20 Chinese 神奇校车 (Shén qí xiào chē) The Magic School Bus books are designed for children as young as 4 years old who are learning to read Chinese independently.  

Compared to the other two Magic School Bus Series sets we carry , the Magic School Bus 12-Book Set (Original Picture Book (图画书版)) and the Magic School Bus 10-Book Set (Cartoon Version (动画版)), this Level 2 Reader Bridge version has the least amount of words per page. The text is simple, short and conversational yet exposes young kids to science vocabulary in the format of an exciting Magic School Bus story!

All stories across the three sets of the Magic School Bus series in JoJo collection are unique and do not overlap with each other.

The "uncommon" vocabulary in this set consists mostly of the translated names of 8 students. Although transliterated names can be tricky for young learners, some language immersion experts recommend using real names to help familiarize young learners with Chinese characters that they will encounter later. Although a phonetically translated name may seem to be irrelevant as a "word", each Chinese character in the name is usually a character that a Chinese speaker needs to know. In addition, the 8 students repeatedly appear in all 20 books, making it an excellent book set for young children to learn Chinese characters from names.   

These stories captivate kids' imaginations while simultaneously educating them about science. In addition, most of the story lines involve resolving social or emotional issues commonly faced by school-age children.  

Book titles:

《疯狂的树叶旅行》(Fēng kuáng de shù yè lǚ xíng) The Magic School Bus：The Wild Leaf Ride
《雪野迷踪》(Xuě yě mí zōng) The Magic School Bus Lost in the Snow
《飞离鸟巢》(Fēi lí niǎo cháo) The Magic School Bus Flies from the Nest
《月球漫步》(Yuè qiú màn bù) The Magic School Bus Takes A Moonwalk
《北极探险》(Běi jí tàn xiǎn) The Magic School Bus Arctic Adventure
《体验心脏》(Tǐ yàn xīn zàng) The Magic School Bus Has A Heart
《像螃蟹一样爬》(Xiàng pang xiè yī yàng pá) The Magic School Bus Gets Crabby
《与恐龙一起飞翔》(Yǔ kǒng lóng yī qǐ fēi xiáng) The Magic School Bus Flies with the Dinosaurs
《丢失的牙齿》(Diū shī de yá chǐ) The Magic School Bus and the Missing Tooth
《乘风飞翔》(Chéng fēng fēi xiáng) The Magic School Bus：The Wind
《第一次感恩节》(Dì yī cì gǎn ēn jié) The Magic School Bus at the First Thanksgiving
《建造自由女神像》(Jiàn zào zì yóu nǚ shén xiàng) The Magic School Bus Builds the Statue of Liberty
《经历暴风雨》(Jīng lì bào fēng yǔ) The Magic School Bus Weathers Storm
《飞向太空》(Fēi xiàng tài kōng) The Magic School Bus Blasts into Space
《冬眠》(Dōng mián) The Magic School Bus Sleeps for the Winter
《在蝙蝠洞里》(Zài biān fú dòng lǐ) The Magic School Bus In the Bat Cave
《回收利用》(Huí shōu lì yòng) The Magic School Bus Gets Recycled
《困在网中》(Kùn zài wǎng zhōng) The Magic School Bus Gets Caught in a Web
《鲨鱼奇遇》(Shā yú qí yù) The Magic School Bus and the Shark Adventure
《战胜病菌》(Zhàn shèng bìng jùn) The Magic School Bus Fights Germs 

To learn more about this set and how it compares with other Magic School Bus sets, read this review by Betty Choi at Chalk Academy.   

Is my child ready for this set?

"Read to me":
Ages 4+ will enjoy having these books read to them either by Luka® or a caregiver.

"Read by myself":
The limited text per page and the prevalence of common language make it a good "bridge book" for readers. The involved plot and detailed illustrations will capture the interest of experienced readers ages 5+. 

Option to pair with Luka®:
Consider adding Luka®, the reading robot, to your order. Luka® reads 70,000 books in Mandarin Chinese! ​
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Set Luka® in front of the book, and it will read aloud any page your child turns to-- creating a unique, independent physical book reading experience even if your child isn't ready to read by themselves. Click to read our founders' personal review of Luka here.

Happy learning!