They Swim the Seas [Library Binding]

Seymour Simon (Author), Simon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1998 | Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

The oceans of the world are busy highways for creatures on the move. Plankton - small plants and animals, some so tiny they cannot be seen without a microscope - travel up to the surface and then down more than three thousand feet twice a day; eight-hundred-pound green turtles swim more than a thousand miles to lay their eggs; and spiny lobsters, forming long lines, walk across the ocean bottom. Award-winning science writer Seymour Simon and illustrator Elsa Warnick team again in this vivid companion to Ride the Wind: Airborne Journeys of Animals and Plants. Fascinating glimpses of the mysterious migration of sea creatures will enthrall and amaze young readers.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 3^-5. In spare, elegant language, Simon describes the migrations of marine plants and animals from the elevatorlike movements of microscopic plankton to the 4,000-mile journeys of gray whales. He has selected particularly intriguing creatures whose mysterious habits are certain to fascinate readers: eels who leave their freshwater homes in Europe and the U.S. and disappear in the Sargasso Sea to spawn, spiny lobsters who march single file from Bimini to deeper Gulf Stream waters, and tuna and salmon who return to the same spawning grounds where they were born after roaming thousands of miles around the oceans. In a concluding section, Simon provides additional information about the habits and physical characteristics of these animals. Warnick's fine watercolor illustrations are a perfect complement to Simon's fluid writing. She has captured the purposeful movement described in the text and rendered it in lively paintings that flow across the pages. Chris Sherman --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 200 books for young readers and is the recipient of the Science Books & Films Key Award for Excellence in Science Books, the Empire State Award for excellence in literature for young people, and the Educational Paperback Association Jeremiah Ludington Award. Mr. Simon lives in Great Neck, New York. 

Elsa Warnick is the illustrator of the award-winning Song for the Whooping Crane by Eileen Spinelli. Elsa's own book, Bedtime , was a Children's Book-of-the-Month Club main selection. Her books have been included on the Kentucky Blue Grass Award list and the IRA/CBC Children's Choice list. She was a recipient of the Independent Publishers Book Award (IPPY) in 2001, and two of her books were selected by Scholastic's Paperback Book Clubs. Elsa recently completed illustrations for Hugs on the Wind by Marsha Diane Arnold and Vernise Elaine Pelzel. She is currently teaching children's book illustration at Portland Community College.  --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Library Binding: 40 pages
• Publisher: Steck-Vaughn (September 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0817257659
• ISBN-13: 978-0817257651
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,841,063 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

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true ocean's journey, October 2, 2000

By 

James T. Morgan (Princeton, New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: They Swim the Seas: The Mystery of Animal Migration (Hardcover)

Elsa Warnick's beautiful watercolors coupled with Seymour Simon's words create a new understanding, that is to the point, of animal migration. Simon covers every ocean species from the American Eel to the great migrator - the whale. This book is a must have for any child or elementary school teacher.