Hurricanes [Paperback]

Seymour Simon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 26, 2007 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Hurricanes. Typhoons. Cyclones. No matter what you call them, these formidable, swirling storms are the most devastating events in nature. hurricanes takes young readers on an in-depth exploration of one of the most awe-inspiring phenomena on Earth! This dramatic account of hurricanes and the disasters they leave behind, including Andrew and Katrina, are intensified through arresting full-color photographs and satellite images. Award-winning science writer Seymour Simon has teamed up with the Smithsonian Institution to bring you a new, updated edition of his acclaimed look at this astonishing, and often terrifying, natural disaster.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3–5—An updated edition of Simon's 2003 title, this book presents a definition and etymology of the term, descriptions of tropical storms, the names of significant disasters, the formation and behavior of hurricanes, and the resulting storm surges. A passage on the Saffir-Simpson scale presents accounts and photos of the damage of the five categories. A closing section deals with forecasting, warnings, and precautions. The changes since the original include the addition of the Australian term for hurricanes; the replacement of a passage on Hurricane Andrew (1992) with coverage of Katrina (2005), with Andrew replacing Opal (1995) as an example of a Category 4 hurricane; deletion of a passage warning that New Orleans is potentially in danger of a serious hurricane; two replacement photos; and new cover art featuring the Smithsonian logo. This is a typical Simon effort, with readable text and excellent photos.—Jeffrey A. French, formerly at Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library, Willowick, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-4. Pairing a simply phrased narrative with arresting, eye-catching color photos, Simon explains what hurricanes are and imparts a vivid sense of their destructive potential. After introducing hurricanes (and their lesser cousins, tropical storms and tropical depressions), he describes how the storms develop and are rated on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale and supplies recent examples before closing with advice for readers who might find themselves in a hurricane's path. The uncaptioned illustrations include satellite photos, ground-level scenes of flooded streets, computer enhanced radar images, and shots of storm victims being rescued. The lack of an index or further resources may hamper assignment-driven children, but like most of Simon's other work, this is unsurpassed for kindling interest in a scientific subject and communicating an understanding of its scope and significance. John Peters
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Collins (June 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061170712
• ISBN-13: 978-0061170713
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 10 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #278,587 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #23 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( S ) > Simon, Seymour
  • #91 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Earth Sciences > Atmospheric Sciences

More About the Author

Seymour Simon, whom the NY Times called "the dean of [children's science] writers," is the author of more than 250 highly acclaimed science books (many of which have been named Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children by the National Science Teachers Association). His free, educational children's app, SCIENCE FUN TO GO, debuted in the Top 10 of all free children's apps in the Amazon App store, and features in app purchase of original Seymour Simon eBooks, as well as a multitude of free content.

Seymour Simon uses his website, SeymourSimon.com, to provide free downloads of a wealth of materials for educators, homeschoolers and parents to use with his books, including 4-page Teacher Guides for all 26 of his Collins/Smithsonian photo essay books. The site provides multiple resources for kids writing book reports or wanting to explore the online Science Dictionary, and also features the Seymour Science blog highlighting current science news. Educators and families are encouraged to sign up to receive the monthly newsletter from SeymourSimon.com to stay abreast of the latest materials that Seymour Simon is introducing to enrich the reading experience.

He taught science and creative writing in elementary and secondary schools and was chair of the science department at a junior high school in the New York City public school system before leaving to become a full-time writer. "I haven't really given up teaching," he says, "and I suppose I never will, not as long as I keep writing and talking to kids around the country and the world."

Seymour Simon is also a creator and the author of a series of 3D books and a series of Glow-in-the-Dark Books for Scholastic Book Clubs, a series of leveled SEEMORE READERS for Chronicle Books, and the EINSTEIN ANDERSON, SCIENCE DETECTIVE series of fiction books. His books encourage children to enjoy the world around them through learning and discovery, and by making science fun. He has introduced tens of millions of children to a staggering array of subjects; one prominent science education specialist described Simon's books as "extraordinary examples of expository prose."

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 New York State Knickerbocker Award for Juvenile Literature; the Hope S. Dean Memorial Award from the Boston Public Library for his contribution to children's science literature; The Washington Post/Children's Book Guild Award for Non-fiction; the Jeremiah Ludington Award for his outstanding contribution to children's nonfiction; the Empire State Award for excellence in literature for young people; and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Forum on Children's Science Books.

In a recent interview Simon was asked if he ever thinks of retiring. "I seem to be working faster and harder than ever. I absolutely don't feel any urge to sit back and look at what I've done. The only things that I'm thinking about are things I'd like to do in the future. I'm planning and doing and continuing to write. It's what I love to do. I remember a story about an anthropologist going to talk to a tribe and he asked them what was their word for "work." Their response was they have no word for work. Everybody does the things that they do in their life. I love that response. I don't differentiate between work and play. Everything I do is something that I enjoy doing - the writing, the research and everything else."

Seymour Simon writes and photographs nature from his hilltop home in Columbia County in upstate New York. You can follow his daily nature walks and see his photographs from the field on Twitter (@seymoursimon) or on his Facebook group page. He also regularly hosts Q&As and sponsors book giveaways on GoodReads.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for the elementary-age set, September 29, 2009

By 

HeatherHH - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hurricanes (Paperback)

This book was purchased as a gift for my 8-year-old son who is very interested in natural disasters. I read it aloud to him and to my 6-year-old daughter, both of whom enjoyed it.

The text is very thorough in explaining how hurricanes develop, the categories of hurricanes, how they are predicted, and how to be safe when a hurricane threatens. Hurricane terms are defined in text, but other difficult words that are less central to the narrative are defined in the glossary in the back (e.g. moorings). It is this more challenging vocabulary that makes this book a read-aloud in the lower elementary years, so that an adult can explain challenging vocabulary. A child would probably need at least a 4th grade reading level to have reasonable understanding on their own. My son reads on a 5th grade level and can understand most of it by himself, except for the odd word. My daughter reads on a 2nd grade level and would be lost by herself. I homeschool and think it's critical to be reading aloud a lot to children in this age range, so it's not a big deal to me. But, this wouldn't be a good book to buy and expect to just hand over to the average 4 to 8-year-old it's recommended for.

Each two page spread is half photograph. In general the photos were very interesting and illustrated the power of a hurricane, but one or two of them were somewhat blurred as if the picture had been blown up too big. I'm sure they could have found other pictures that were sharp and detailed (one depicted aftermath, not hurricane itself), but it's not that big a deal. The kids probably won't even notice.

I would definitely recommend this book on hurricanes. It's extremely thorough and educational for adults as well as children. I have also read the author's book on Tornadoes, which was good as well, so I'd recommend his books in general. As a side note, this book was updated in 2007 and does mention Hurricane Katrina.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars my child loves it!, June 1, 2008

By 

Jessica Barr "Jesslb" (Cape Cod, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hurricanes (Paperback)

There are tons of pictures and alot of information and it's suitable for some younger children

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book, June 26, 2006

By 

M. Guzzo - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hurricanes (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my son who has taken an interest in hurricanes and he loved it. He enjoys looking at the pictures and has learned alot about hurricanes.