Storms (Reading Rainbow Books) [Paperback]

Seymour Simon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 21, 1992 | Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Reading Rainbow Books

"A succinct, informative essay illuminated by magnificent photographs. The subject is particularly absorbing, as it highlights the natural drama of a commonly experienced phenomenon....The stunning visual portrayal of storms, accompanied by impressive factual data and clear explanations in crisp prose, is truly compelling."--Horn Book.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-- Simon uses the same handsome format that he used to introduce the planets to explain storms here on earth. In a simple and direct way he explains the mechanisms that cause thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes to form their tremendous destructive power. The amazing color photos are well chosen and range from an excellent four-panel display of a tornado's progress to full-page photos of storm clouds, lightening strikes, and so on. The type is large and clear, and the information is sufficient for basic reports. While there is no new information here, this beautiful science book from a reliable and prolific author should certainly be considered to augment existing weather collections or to begin a new collection. --Rosanne Cerny, Queens Borough Public Library
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --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.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (October 21, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688117082
• ISBN-13: 978-0688117085
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 9.7 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #377,762 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #29 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( S ) > Simon, Seymour

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

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars covers tornadoes, thunder/lightening, hurricanes and hail, March 2, 2004

By 

christinemm - The Thinking Mother (Houston Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Storms (Hardcover)

Detailed and thorough descriptions of lightening/thunder storms, tornadoes and hurricanes are given. There is plenty of information about what we know about how the storm is created, the role of electricity in the storm, etc. What people should do if they are caught in a storm so that the risk of personal injury is lessened is also explained in detail. Hail is explained with a wonderful photo of a cross-section of a large hailstone. The damage and injury that hail can do is explained in detail. There are brief descriptions of two types of clouds. Simple rainstorms are not discussed, and not every type of cloud is addressed.

I felt that the author should have included an explanation of how certain storms are regional or more likely to occur in certain areas of North America. Warnings of death, airplane flight issues, and injury are given, so be forewarned if you are reading this to very young readers. There is no mention as to the frequency of the storms, which had my child worried that we'd soon encounter a tornado (even though they are extremely rare in our area of the country and despite the fact that I censored out some of the scarier results of the storms).

NOTE: After I read "Storms" and wrote the above review I read his separate books focused on one topic: "Hurricanes" and "Lightning". The books which focus on one topic are actually more interesting in style of writing, contain more information about where storms hit, details of how dangerous they are or are not, and give many more specific and wonderful photographs. Therefore I prefer the books that focus on one individual topic. "Storms" seems to boil down the information in a way that is not equal to reading the individual books. For this reason I will rate this book a 4, and I rate the individual books a 5.

The photographs are stunning and depict everything covered: from gorgeous lightening to large storm fronts, to hurricanes with the eye visible, to a series of photos of a tornado, going from its' beginning to end. I feel the high quality photographs are key to maintaining the interest level of the child and they help the child understand and remember the information.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful!, November 8, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Storms (Reading Rainbow Books) (Paperback)

What a gorgeous book. It's written to appeal to a young audience, but anyone can enjoy the stunning photographs. It makes you appreciate the inherent beauty of storms. It covers everything from Clouds, to rain, to tornados. As well as providing information about each subject, it often includes safety information for children which I found to be very responsible.