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Joanna Cole, Author Of Magic School Bus Books, Has Died

Joanna Cole, Author Of Magic School Bus Books, Has Died

The books have sold more than 93 million copies around the world

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

Joanna Cole, author of the Magic School Bus series of books, has sadly died.

Scholastic, the company responsible for mass publishing the books around the world, revealed the 75-year-old died from Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, which is a type of lung disease.

Scholastic Chairman and chief executive Dick Robinson said in a statement: "Joanna Cole had the perfect touch for blending science and story.

PBS

"Joanna's books, packed with equal parts humour and information, made science both easy to understand and fun for the hundreds of millions of children around the world who read her books and watched the award-winning television series."

The author's books have sold 93 million copies around the world.

The premise centres on Ms. Valerie Frizzle and her class, who have on hand a school bus that can take them essentially anywhere they want: the solar system, clouds, the past, and the human body.

The books were turned into an animated TV series that further showed the wonders of science, nature and knowledge. It's also set to be turned into a feature-length film with Elizabeth Banks playing Ms Frizzle.

Cole teamed up with illustrator Bruce Degen in 1986 to work on the books, which became instant classics.

Cole and Degen.
Annabelle Helms/Scholastic

Degen said in a statement: "We met in 1984 in the office of the much-missed Craig Walker, the brilliant editor who asked us to work together. We did not know each other.

"In the world of children's books, it is not often necessary for illustrator and writer to actually meet, but there were conundrums with MSB. Every page was so complicated, we had to make decisions: how to make it work. Could it work? And we did. Together. And we became friends.

"What Joanna has meant to the world, what there is in the world because of her, is well known. What she meant to me I can't describe. Everyone who knew her, worked with her, loved her, knows what a loss it is."

The idea for the book series came after Scholastic senior editorial director Craig Walker said he was receiving loads of requests from teachers for novels about science.

He brought Cole and Degen together, and they put together the series that is now loved by children across the world.

Featured Image Credit: Annabelle Helms/Scholastic

Topics: News