Joanna Cole

Biographical Information

Born on August  11, 1944, in Newark, New Jersey, Joanna Cole is a famous American writer, who was best known for the book, the Magic School Bus. Prior to this popular book, her first book was called Cockroaches. Growing up in the suburb called East Orange, she developed an interest in science as she played with the insects and plants in her backyard. Her aunt furthers her interest in science, as Joanna received her favorite childhood book called Bugs, Insects, and Such. She frequently borrowed science books each week and read these books as leisure. This was the beginning of her future in science.

She went to the University of Massachusetts and the University of Indiana, and she received her degree in psychology from the City College of New York. During her graduate studies, she worked as a librarian at the Brooklyn elementary school from 1967 to 1968. From 1968 to 1980, she worked various jobs from companies, such as Newsweek, Scholastic, and Doubleday books, before she would become the famous author that she is today.

In 1980, she transitioned to writing, and she started by writing children’s books and magazine articles. She had her first book, Cockroaches,  published in 1971, and her first book influenced her to eventually become a full-time author of children’s books. Her most popular work, Magic School Bus, was published in 1986. She worked alongside her illustrator, Bruce Degen, to produce one book in the series over the course of a year. It is said that Joanna Cole’s influence for Ms. Frizzle was based on her childhood teacher, who acted similar to the popular Magic School Bus character. In addition, her favorite book was Inside the Earth, where one of the characters, Arnold, mistakens styrofoam covered in dirt as a rock because this is based on an incident with Joanna Cole’s daughter. Her books were eventually adapted into an animated tv show, which was broadcasted for 18 years, starting

from 1994. In the mode-n day, her books were used for a Netflix series called The Magic School Bus: Rides Again. The material from her books was so popular that they were even used to create a video game between 1994 to 2010.

Themes and style

A factor to her success in children’s books could be attributed to her ability to relate to her readers. She always ensured that her books reflected the emotional level of the children that would be reading her books. Her books include both fiction and nonfiction, even though her most famous books were fictional. However, her influence in science literature has gotten her recognition as one of the most popular children’s authors. Although she wished to have more scientific aspects in her writing, she writes to inspire students to appreciate science and includes ideas, instead of only facts. This style has contributed to her success, as she was able to engage her readers and get their approval.

Bibliography

Joanna Cole received many accolades and awards for her work and contributions to nonfiction literature, as well as most of her books being recognized as ALA Notables. Here are several of the rewards  that she received:
 * NSTA/CBC Non-fiction Awards,
 * Washington Post/Children's Book Guild for her non-fiction books in 1971,
 * Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children for all her books,
 * National Science Teachers Association/Children's Book Council,


 * Junior Literary Guild selection for her book, Cat's Body and A Bird's Body,
 * Child Study Association of America's Children's Books of the Year

Criticism
 * Children's Book Showcase selection, Children's Book Council, for A Chick Hatches, 1977,
 * New York Academy of Sciences Children's Science honor book, 1981,
 * Children's Choice selection and International Reading Association/Children's Book Council (IRA/CBC), for A Snake's Body, 1982,
 * Golden Kite Honor Book Award, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, and Notable Children's Book selection, Association for Library Service to Children, for How You Were Born, 1984,
 * Irma Simonton Black Award for Excellence in Children's Literature for Doctor Change, 1986,
 * Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor Book for Nonfiction for The Magic School Bus at the Waterworks, 1987,
 * IRA/CBC Children's Choice award for The Magic School Bus inside the Earth, 1990,
 * Eva L. Gordon Award, American Nature Study Society for body of science and nature writing, 1990,
 * Washington Post/Children's Book Guild Award for Nonfiction for body of work, 1991,
 * David McCord Children's Literature Citation, Framingham (MA) State College/Nobscot Council of the IRA, for significant contribution to excellence in children's literature, 1994,
 * Recipient of state children's book awards, including Colorado Children's Choice Award, and Washington State Children's Choice Award for The Magic School Bus at the Waterworks, 1989,
 * Garden State Award for nonfiction for The Magic School Bus inside the Human Body, 1992, and for The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System, 1993,
 * Many of Cole's books have received best or notable book citations from the American Library Association, Horn Book, and School Library Journal.

In exploring Joanna Cole’s review for her work, she had many positive feedback from her reviewers throughout the year. This spans from her ability to engage in her young readers, as well as her ability to reinvent scientific literature. In her reviews on how she reinvented both her own work and scientific literature, Sarah Gagne once commented that Joanna Cole went beyond introducing anatomy of different animals to her readers in her book, An Insect’s Body in Horn Book. She noted that she has “improve[d] on the unparalleled series of books about animal bodies that she has written over the years”, and with this book, “she has now done so.” Furthermore, Ilene Cooper’s review of the book, The Human Body: How We Evolved, stirred the curiosity of her readers through her style of writing for her intended audience. She comments that this book is “a fine introduction to evolution that will go a long way toward answering of children’s questions of their origins.” These two critiques emphasize how Joanna Cole has made significant impacts to children literature.

Secondly, Joanna Cole is conscious and aware of how young children may react when reading factual material within her nonfiction stories. Reviewers have commented on how she has made her writing personable, such as Cole’s book, A Calf is Born,  My Puppy Is Born, How You Were Born, and My New Kitten, where the book explains how baby animals are taken care of to relate to how the reader’s parents take care of them. In Denise Moll’s review, she comments that “Cole relates the process of conception and birth in a personalized manner” and continues her positive review that all of her work “continues to set the standard.” This looks at how Joanna was able to create a relationship between the reader and the book. Her books go beyond feeling, but also look towards the development of the children. For example, Dina Sherman provided comments on her books, The New Baby at Your House, My Big Boy Potty, When You Were inside Mommy, I'm a Big Brother and I'm a Big Sister, and How I Was Adopted: Samantha's Story, deals with how children interact with their siblings and deal with similar situation each day at home. Her comments were that this “gives honest, practical advice on helping youngsters prepare for and cope with a new arrival” and provides children with “positive reinforcement of individuality and importance as part of the family.” All of these comments reflect how Joanna’s writing style is informative, as well as practical in nurturing its readers’ development. In conclusion, this demonstrates the biography and life of the author who wrote the famous book series, The Magic School Bus.