Seymour Simon
Mr. Simon credits his twenty-three years as a science teacher for developing his direct, conversational writing style and his keen sense for subjects that will appeal to children. "Writing as if you’re teaching and having actual contact with kids is important," he says. "I try to write the way I talk. I’m always thinking about the effect my sentences will have on kids if they are read aloud." Morever, many of his ideas for books grew out of his work in the classroom. "Interesting questions come up in class discussions," he asserts. "If I can’t locate a good children’s book that will help explain not just what but also the why and how of a subject, then I may sit down and try to write one myself. To me, a book about nature or science has to be more than just an answer book."
Since the publication of his first book, in 1968, Seymour Simon has written over one hundred books, and more than sixty of them, including WOLVES, 1993, have been selected Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children by the National Science Teachers Association/Children’s Book Council. For his overall contribution to children’s science literature, Mr. Simon is a recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Commendation from the National Forum on Children’s Science Books as well as the Eva L. Gordon Award from the Nature Society.
Although Seymour Simon left teaching in order to devote himself to writing full-time, he still visits schools and talks to students as often as he can, because it is this all-important contact with children and the sense of scientific wonder that has made him one of their favorite writers. "I haven’t really given up teaching," says Mr. Simon, "and I suppose I never will, not as long as I keep writing."
An alumnus of the Bronx High School of Science and the City College of New York City, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in comparative psychology, Seymour Simon had done graduate work in a variety of fields, including science, literature, psychology, and history. He and his wife, Joyce, live on Long Island, New York and are the parents of two grown sons.
compiled from information provided by Seymour Simon
Some books by Seymour Simon:
BIG CATS
WHALES
SNAKES
WOLVES
SCIENCE DICTIONARY
SPACE WORDS: A DICTIONARY
LITTLE GIANTS
SHADOW MAGIC
SOAP BUBBLE MAGIC
SERIES:
THE ASTRONOMY SERIES
THE EARTH SCIENCE SERIES
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