Oceans (Smithsonian) [Hardcover]

Seymour Simon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 23, 2006 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Smithsonian

Exceptional nonfiction for children from two of the most trusted names in science education: Seymour Simon and the Smithsonian Institution.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Remarkable." -- --Booklist

"Visually stunning." -- --The Horn Book --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Seymour Simon has been called “the dean of the [children’s science book] field” by the New York Times. He has written more than 250 books for young readers and has received the American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru Lifetime Achievement Award for his lasting contribution to children’s science literature, the Science Books & Films Key Award for Excellence in Science Books, the Empire State Award for excellence in literature for young people, the New York State Knickerbocker Award for Juvenile Literature, the Hope S. Dean Memorial Award from the Boston Public Library, the Washington Post-Children’s Book Guild Award, the Educational Paperback Association Jeremiah Ludington Award, and the Mom’s Choice Award-Gold. He and his wife, Liz, live in upstate New York.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Collins (May 23, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060889985
• ISBN-13: 978-0060889982
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 10.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,524,899 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oceans by Seymour Simon, August 4, 2001

By 

Lalith Polepeddi (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Oceans (Wiley Nature Editions) (School & Library Binding)

This is a very edicational, easy-to-read book that gives information on the single body of water that the world is covered in. I especially liked all the interesting facts mentioned in this book and it was an informational and short read. Some of the facts that I found interesting were that the ocean has more tha one-and-one-half quintillion (15 followed by 17 zeros) tons of water - that 100 billion gallons of water for each person in the world - , how scientists use echo sounding to find out the physical features of the ocean, the cause of tides in relation to the moon and the sun, and the incredible numbers of life forms in the sea. There are also a couple of pages talking about waves - both destructive (tsunamis, hurricane waves) and normal waves that you see at the beach. The fantastic color photographs are simply breathtaking. This book also has good diagrams and the text is clear and concise.

5.0 out of 5 stars old fashioned but nice, October 17, 2011

By 

mimimarq - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Oceans (Wiley Nature Editions) (Paperback)

nice, informative, book to teach children about the ocean it is like a beginner's guide to oceanography and also discusses how people use the ocean and the creatures that live in it