Children's illustrator and author Bruce Degen died November 7 at the age of 79.
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He was probably best known for illustrating the Magic School Bus picture book series about science written by Joanna Cole (Scholastic), which was published between 1986 and 2021 and has had a variety of spinoffs, including a PBS TV series and educational video games. Degen and Cole also collaborated on the Ms. Frizzle's Adventures series about social studies. In addition, Degen illustrated the Jesse Bear books by Nancy White Carlstrom (Little Simon) and Jane Yolen's Commander Toad series (Puffin Books). Degen wrote and illustrated children's books, including Daddy Is a Doodlebug (2000) and Jamberry (1983), both published by HarperCollins.
In addition to his career in children's books, Degen worked as a painter, print maker, and teacher--and even painted scenery for the opera.