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Joanna Cole, whose Magic School Bus book series was beloved by millions of young readers and later turned into an animated television show, has died at age 75.

Her publisher, Scholastic, said Cole, a resident of Sioux City, Iowa, died Sunday from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

“Joanna Cole had the perfect touch for blending science and story,” said Scholastic Chairman and CEO Dick Robinson in a statement issued Wednesday. “Joanna’s books, packed with equal parts humor 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 idea for The Magic School Bus was born in the mid-1980s. Scholastic senior editorial director Craig Walker was fielding requests from teachers for books about science, and decided a storytelling and science series was the answer.

He recruited Cole for the task. She...

(L-r) Susan Prior, Enzo Tedeschi and Stephanie Pringle (Photo: Sie Kitts)

As Susan Prior watched works from 15 actors and filmmakers that were screened at the third Face Off screen actors’ showcase at the Chauvel Cinema in Paddington last Thursday, she was constantly impressed by their bravery.

The actor along with filmmaker Enzo Tedeschi and Stephanie Pringle, co-founder of Chicken and Chips Casting, viewed the self-tests, teaser trailers and short films and gave the creators their expert advice and guidance.

“There were some beauties, a lot of thought and sweat. The word bravery kept popping into my head – the bravery to take the first step, to create your own work, and to put it out there,” says Susan, whose recent credits include Frayed and the upcoming The Gloaming and The Wrong Guy.

“Face Off and any other initiatives out there such as Mark Forytarz’s Melbourne Film Factory and Ron Brown...