Introducing…
Seymour Simon
Kelly Shepherd
EDUC 717
Towson University
Background
Early on…
Later…
• Grew up the Bronx area of New York
City
• President of American Museum of
History’s Junior Astronomy Club
• Degree in animal behavior
• Worked in New York City Public Schools for 23 years,
teaching science and creative writing.
• Started as a writer for Scholastic Magazine
• Currently works full-time as a writer and
nature photographer
Seymour Simon has written over 250 books. Here are just a few of them…
Images retrieved from www.googleimages.com
Seymour Simon’s most recently published book is
Global Warming, published in conjunction with the
Smithsonian Institute.
Image retrieved from www.googleimages.com
Fun Fact:
Seymour Simon also writes fiction. His
series, Einstein Anderson, Science Detective is
loosely based on the author . Simon calls
Einstein Anderson his “alter ego”.
True or false?
The original proposed title of the
series was Seymour the Mad
Scientist.
Image retrieved from www.amazon.com
In addition to his signature photo-essays,
Seymour Simon also writes the following series:
• Let’s Try It Out – hands-on science activities for
early learners
• Glow-in-the-Dark books for Scholastic
• 3-D Readers for Scholastic
• SeeMore Readers – leveled books for beginning
readers; the format mirrors his books for older
readers
Images retrieved from www.barnesandnobles.com
Seymour Simon in his own words…
Reading Rockets interview
http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/simon
Characteristics of Seymour
Simon’s books
Stunning full page photographs
Simon, The Universe, 1998
Use of analogies to explain concepts, such as
large numbers.
Comets in the Oort cloud, as it is
called, are at the outer edge of
the Solar System. They are
hundreds of times farther away
from the Sun than the most
distant planets. If Pluto’s orbit
were the size of a quarter, the
Oort cloud would be a giant
beach ball fifty feet wide (Simon,
1994).
Narrative structure – each books tells a
complete story from beginning to end
Every second of every day more than a
hundred lightning bolts strike the earth. That’s
about ten million lightning bolts in a single day!
The early Greeks thought that the king of the
gods, Zeus, hurled thunderbolts from stormy
skies….Today we know that lightning is a river
of electricity rushing through an ocean of air.
Yet scientists are still not sure of exactly what
causes these awesome strokes of power
(Simon, 1997).
Simple explanations for
complex scientific concepts
Most coral reefs are
highly sensitive. Even
small changes in water
temperature and in the
amount of carbon
dioxide in the water can
kill algae in the reef.
When the coral dies, it
bleaches white (Simon,
2010).
Designed to capture the interest of
beginning, struggling, or nonreaders
“I think it’s important that we get the interest of a nonreader
before we try to teach them how to read. And all of my early
books – that is, the younger books – are so geared that if a child
picks them up, he’s going to be fascinated by the photographs,
and he will want to know what it is in this photograph that’s he’s
seeing. Many of them ask to be read to, and many of them learn
to read because they have the same page read to them time and
time again.”
What critics say…
Review of Global Warming
Simon’s consistently high-quality collaborations with the Smithsonian investigate all
manner of science topics for young readers, and here take on the timely matter of
climate change. Informative and noncondescending, this boils down large, complex
issues into understandable concepts, even as it covers the range of current
understanding on how we are impacting the planet (Chipman, 2010).
Review of SeeMore Readers
Simon makes the text easy to understand using clear sentences and simple vocabulary.
Pronunciation guides are provided within the text. The books will challenge readers with
the sophisticated concepts introduced. This series is a winning combination of the
science writing of Simon, paired with spectacular photographs to create a science series
designed for the newly independent reader (Decker, 2005).
Review of Human Body
Simon has been cruising through the human body for a number of years, and here he
pulls all the pieces together and adds a bit to the mix as he presents a cool look at the
human interior. Lavishly illustrated with large computer-colored X-rays, MRI scans,
computer artwork, and diagrams, the book is an eye-catcher (Manning, 2008).
Seymour Simon has been honored with
many awards for his work, including the…
• American Association for the Advancement of
Science/Subaru Lifetime Achievement Award for his
lasting contribution to children’s science literature.
• The Washington Post/Children’s Book Guild Award for
non-fiction.
• Jeremiah Ludington Award for his outstanding
contribution to children’s nonfiction.
• Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Forum
on Children’s Science Books.
To learn more about Seymour Simon, visit his website at
http://www.seymoursimon.com/
Here, you can:
• read Seymour Simon’s perspective on current events.
• see videos, blog entries, and photographs created by
the author.
• learn about science and technology.
• access a science dictionary with over 2000 entries.
• request a Skype session with the author.
References
Chipman, Ian. (2010, February 15). Global warming [Review of the book Global
warming]. Booklist, 106, 84. Retrieved May 1, 2010, from
http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy-tu.researchport.umd.edu
Decker, Charlotte. (2005, August/September). Seemore readers [Review of Seemore
Readers]. Library Media Connection, 24, 95. Retrieved May 1, 2010, from
http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy-tu.researchport.umd.edu
Manning, Patricia. (2008, November). Human body [Review of the book Human
body]. School Library Journal, 54 147. Retrieved May 1, 2010, from
http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy-tu.researchport.umd.edu
Reading Rockets (2008). Transcript from an interview with Seymour Simon. Retrieved
April 30, 2010, from http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/simon
References
Simon, Seymour (2010). Biography. Retrieved May 2, 2010, from
http://www.seymoursimon.com/
Simon, Seymour. (1994). Comets, meteors, and asteroids. New York: HarperCollins
Publishers.
Simon, Seymour. (2010). Global warming. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
Simon, Seymour. (1997). Lightning. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
Simon, Seymour. (1998). Universe. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.