"Seymour Simon may have done more than any other living author to help us to understand and appreciate our planet and our universe" —Kirkus Reviews

Seymour Simon is the author of more than 200 highly acclaimed science books (over half of which have been named Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children by the National Science Teachers Association). He has introduced millions of children to an incredible range of nonfiction topics, including animals and animal behavior, weather, earthquakes, volcanoes, planets and space, machines and transportation and more.

Although Seymour Simon left teaching years ago in order to devote himself to writing, he often visits schools and talks with students and educators. This important contact has made him one of their favorite writers. "I do listen to what kids are interested in, and it's funny because more often then not, their ideas are about things I have already written about or plan to write about," he says.

Seymour Simon has been honored with many awards for his work including the New York State Knickerbocker Award for Juvenile Literature; the Hope S. Dean Memorial Award from the Boston Public Library; the Eva L. Gordon Award, presented by the American Nature Society for his contribution to children's science literature; the Washington Post/Children's Book Guild Award for Non-fiction; the 2003 Empire State Award for Excellence in Literature for Young People; the Bill Martin, Jr. award from the Kansas Reading Association; The M. Jerry Weiss Award from the New Jersey Reading Association, and also the Educational Paperback Association Ludington Award for the body of his work. The Mayor and the City Council of Houston,Texas even declared June 29, 1999 "Seymour Simon Day," and Brown County and Green Bay, Wisconsin, proclaimed August, 2, 1999, A Day of Recognition for Seymour Simon. Seymour Simon lives in New York state.

Q & A with Seymour Simon

Reading your books, it's clear that you truly understand what intrigues kids, and you know how to keep them interested. What's your secret?
My secret is that I still think like a kid! I still have the same enthusiasms that I had when I was in school. They are very child-like enthusiasms! If something gets me very excited, then the chances are good that kids will get very excited about it too. Through my school visits, I am in constant contact with kids at all grade levels—a real wide age range. And I spend a lot of time with my grandkids.

You were a teacher for many years, and you frequently make school visits. In your view, have children's interests changed over the years, or are there perennial topics that will always pull them in?
Kids' interests change, surely, but there are always topics that will have appeal. Space, animals, and natural disasters like storms, volcanoes, and earthquakes are great subjects. Spiders are really interesting to kids right now because of the new Spiderman movie.

The SeeMore Readers are perfect for reluctant readers—you successfully lure young readers in with engaging topics and formats. Do you have any special tips for parents or educators who work with reluctant readers?
Choose the topics that appeal most to the individual child, and then get going. Start out by reading aloud. You have to really fascinate them! That's an important part of beginning to read and getting to love reading. We've had some enormously positive feedback about the SeeMore Readers series from teachers and parents. The text is large and easy to read, the photos are really very sophisticated—nice and big. There really is no other series of beginning readers that is just like the SeeMore Readers. These books are just enormously appealing to kids.

What are some of the subjects for future SeeMore Readers? Will you give us a sneak preview?
Knights and Castles (Level 3) and Giant Snakes (Level 2) are out in Fall 2006. Four books are also available in Spanish: Killer Whales Ballenas Asesinas (Level 1), Amazing Aircraft Aeronaves Asombrosas (Level 2), Pyramids & Mummies Pirámides y Momias (Level 3), and Incredible Sharks Tiburones Fabulosos (Level 1). You can send your ideas about new topics for the series to: simon@seymoursimon.com.

Click below for:
About the SeeMore Readers series and
Praise for Seymour Simon’s SeeMore Readers.