F20CI452 Wiki talk:Joanna Cole

Before reading this, although I am familiar with The Magic School Bus series and tv show, I had never heard of Joanna Cole. I remember loving the TV series as a kid and it helped me make sense of scientific concepts.

I think it is so interesting that Cole has a background in psychology, as a librarian and in various publishing jobs. She really understands how the brain works and what will appeal to young readers, which is clear by how popular the series is. I might use this information with my own students when they are trying to generate writing topics. If they can see examples of writers using their experience and strengths to create interesting stories, they may explore more topics that are unique to them.

One thing I found surprising was how Cole worked with her illustrator to create her books. From my understanding, most authors write a story and their publisher chooses an illustrator. Since Cole completed her writing alongside her illustrator,  it makes sense that her stories are so visually appealing to her readers and were easily converted into media formats. I think writing alongside another person who has illustrations in mind could help my students explore different ways of writing.

Great job creating this Wiki!

Miao's comment for Joanna Cole wiki study
Hi Julie, thanks for sharing.I found that you really love Joanna Cole, since you shared The Magic School Bus last time in the group talking. Although I have not read any books by her, I decided to watch the series created by The Magic School Bus after learning this wiki study.

Joanna Cole absolutely is a successful author, because this wiki study lists a lot of rewards for her, which makes me feel interested about her writing styles. I am trying to connect her childhood and school experience with her writing styles and themes. When she was young, she seemed like enjoying the nature science (bugs), but she got a degree in human science (psychology), which is interesting. With the psychological experience, it made sense that she “always ensured that her books reflected the emotional level of children,”  which was an essential ability for authors to connect their readers, and then their readers could resonate themselves. With her interests in science, she encouraged readers to approach science and appreciate science. I am thinking that maybe there are some scientific aspects included in The Magic School Bus.

In the criticism part, there are two positive comments for her, but I am also curious about if there are some negative comments and why.