May 17, 2013
Yesterday, Seymour Simon spoke to all children, all grades, at a Pennsylvania elementary school. We were so pleased and proud at what the school librarian had to say about it that we just had to share it with all of you. Thank you, Holly, for the wonderful feedback!
Dear Seymour,
Your time at Lower Gwynedd was a gift to our students as well as us oldsters! We were all mesmerized. You modeled the thrill of discovery and thinking as writing… writing as thinking. Your use of comparisons in the "space" presentations made complex numbers and concepts something we could understand. I do not doubt that every child will go home tonight and fly at least one paper airplane. It was a thrilling day for us and one that I hope will plant the seeds for future scientists and writers and educators. Thank you so much.
Holly Carlson
Librarian
Lower Gywnedd Elementary School
Posted by: Liz Nealon
May 17, 2013
Yesterday I visited a terrific bunch of kids at Lower Gwynedd Elementary School in Ambler Pennsylvania. Afterward, I received a lovely thank you note from Rachel N. Rachel wrote:
You have visited my school, Lower Gwynedd. I enjoyed your visiting and all of your books. I really hope that you will visit us next time again. Have a nice day!
Thank you, Rachel, for this lovely note. Then, I started to receive letters like these two:
Hi, it’s Margaret.
I have a question to ask you.
What is your passion about writing?
your fan,
Margaret
Hi. I’m Shawn from Lower Gwynedd Elementary. I was really fascinated by your presentation today!! I wanted to tell you a few questions. One is what inspired you to be an author. Two is how do you get the ideas for all of your books? And three is what is your favorite subject to write about? Thanks for reading this BYE!!
From: Shawn
Both Margaret and Shawn are asking about my life as a writer - how I got started, how I decide what to write about, and why I continue to want to write (my "passion" for writing).
No one in particular encouraged me to be an author. I don’t think it ever occurred to anyone in my family that you could actually make a living as a writer. I have always loved writing, and started doing it when I was in second grade. Mostly, in those early days, I was writing because I wanted to get my friends excited about the things I was interested in, like planets and space.
When I got a little older, I read a book called THE SEA AROUND US, by Rachel Carson. She is a wonderful writer, I absolutely loved the book, and by the time I finished it, I had realized that I wanted to write about the natural world. I started writing for children because that is where my area of expertise was - I was a middle school science teacher for many years.
I get the ideas for my books from observing and reading about the world around me. I have loved nature since I was a young child. Although I grew up in the Bronx - a very crowded part of New York City - the natural world was all around me. There is weather in the city, just as there is in the country. You can see the sun, moon and stars from a rooftop in the city. And I explored a vacant lot on my street, which wasn’t exactly a park, but still had birds, earthworms, small plants, and trees. In fact, when I grew up one of the first books I wrote was called SCIENCE IN A VACANT LOT.
I don’t think I can say that I have a favorite subject to write about. I simply write books about things that I find interesting and exciting. And of course, whenever I want to write about a subject, I need to study. I start by looking at research that other people have done. What experiments have they run? What animals have they observed? By studying all the work that others have already done, I learn about the subjects that I write about in my books. As the great scientist Sir Isaac Newton once wrote, "If I have seen further than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants."
And that brings me to Margaret’s question about my passion for writing. I suppose I love to write because I love to learn, and I get excited about sharing what I am learning with others. Although being an author is my job, it has never felt like "work." As long as kids like you guys enjoy reading my books, I’m going to keep writing them!
Editor’s Note: Seymour Simon cannot respond personally to every letter that he receives (or he would never have time to write books!). However, he has created a section on his website called FAQs, which stands for "Frequently Asked Questions." Readers can find the answers to virtually all their questions by looking at the FAQ section on SeymourSimon.com
Posted by: Seymour Simon
May 15, 2013
Using Rich Vocabulary is the goal of today’s Writing Wednesday. Look at this funny-looking creature, commonly known as the "piglet squid."
Could I have used richer vocabulary to describe this photograph? What if I described it as a "roly poly, rubber-nosed Cephalopod"? Do you hear the difference in these two descriptions, "funny-looking creature" and "roly poly, rubber-nosed celephod"? Both describe the animal in this photograph, but the second description uses much richer vocabulary to help the reader understand what I am seeing.
Click on the yellow "Comments" link at the bottom of this blog and write your own description of this cute animal. Take your time and come up the richest vocabulary you can to help your reader imagine the animal in this photograph. Happy writing!
Photo: Cabrillo Marine Aquarium/Gary Florin
Posted by: Liz Nealon
May 14, 2013
I am Skyping this morning with kids at the Mulberry Elementary School in Auburn, Georgia. I know that you guys have been using my website, so I wanted to create a special blog post just for you.
Here’s a secret view of what I see while I’m sitting at my keyboard talking with you. Do you see those four little plastic lizards lined up in front of my keyboard? I got them when I spoke at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis earlier this year. They have an amazing Gecko exhibit going on there, and I liked it so much I asked them if I could bring these little toy geckos home with me.So now, you have a "Seymour-eye-view" of our Skype session!
Update: Tuesday afternoon
The students from Mulberry Elementary uploaded their own photo, so now I can see what the Skype session looked like from a "kids-eye-view"!
Thanks so much. I really enjoyed all your great questions!
Posted by: Seymour Simon
May 14, 2013
We were in Washington, DC all weekend for a family graduation, and one of the places we decided to visit was the United States Botanical Garden. What a beautiful place to walk through! The huge glass greenhouses enclose all different habitats - desert, rainforest, medicinal herbs, etc. We found these amazing orchids in the jungle section, where it was one magnificent blooming plant after another. They were so perfect that it was hard to believe they were real!
Like most of the museums in our nation’s capitol, admission to the US Botanical Garden is free. Next time you are in Washington, be sure to pay a visit. I promise you’ll love it!
Posted by: Seymour Simon
May 14, 2013
Big surprise this morning. Two of Seymour SImon’s popular books, EARTHQUAKES and GLOBAL WARMING, are both part of Amazon’s "Deal of the Day" for today only. Both are available in Kindle version for just $2.99. If you’re thinking of buying either one, today is the day. Thank you, HarperCollins for your good work in getting these books into the Amazon promotion!
Posted by: Seymour Simon
May 13, 2013
I received a lovely letter from a second grader named Maya this weekend. She asked very good questions, so I thought I would answer it here for everyone to read. Here is what she wrote:
My name is Maya. I am in second grade. I am 8 years old. My birthday is May 22nd. I love writing books. That is my favorite thing to do in school. I have 2 brothers. My school is Maugham Elementary School. I am writing to you because you are my favorite Author.
It was interesting to learn that you have been writing for more than 40 years. Why did you write for more than 40 years? I love writing books! It was surprising to learn that you have written more than 250 books. Have you written any Dolphin books? I have written an "All About" book about school. I learned that the first book that you wrote was Space Monsters. Was it hard to come up with that idea? It was hard when I wrote my first book. I love that you read "The Sea Around Us" to come up with the idea. Did you have to think a lot? I had to think a lot when I written my first book. Can you please write back to me?
Your fan,
Maya B.
Dear Maya,
Thank you so much for writing! It is always a pleasure to talk about my work as an author with a fellow writer.
I suppose it does seem as though 40 years is a long time to write. However, writing is my job, so just like other grownups you know, I have done my writing job for most of my adult life.
Of course, I am very lucky to have such an enjoyable profession. Even if it were not my job, I think I would write just because I love to do it. Writing books gives me the opportunity to explore new topics and think about how and why things fit together in the natural world. When I am writing, I am always learning.
In answer to your second question, I have indeed written a book called DOLPHINS. They are magnificent creatures of great intelligence.
It is also true that the first book I wrote was called SPACE MONSTERS, when I was in second grade. I loved reading science fiction when I was in elementary school, and I was making up my own stories like the ones that I loved to read in the science fiction magazines of that time. 
I wish I had a copy of that little handwritten book, but unfortunately it was lost many years ago.
I wrote it again when I was first being published as an adult. This time it was called SPACE MONSTERS FROM MOVIES, TV and BOOKS, and it described all my favorite fictional aliens.
Then last year I wrote a third version, called SILLY SPACE MONSTER JOKES AND RIDDLES. Are you getting the idea that I really, really like space monsters?!
Your last question is probably the most critical one from a fellow writer, as you wonder whether I had to think a lot to write my first book. Of course I did, and in fact, I do a lot of thinking when I write every book. Writing involves a lot of thinking before you start - that helps me get to an outline, which I always do before I start writing.
Then I write a first draft and set it aside for a while. When I come back, usually several days or even a week later, I read...
Posted by: Seymour Simon
May 9, 2013
This just in from Mrs. Gutierrez’s 2nd grade class in Gary, Indiana.
First off, we want to thank you for all of your informative books. So far we have read, Big Bugs, Super Storms, and The Moon. We are currently studying insects. Are there any must reads that would help us in our unit?
Thank you so much for writing, guys! If you are already reading BIG BUGS, you have started at the right place!
One of my books that lots of kids seem to love is called ANIMALS NOBODY LOVES. You will definitely find some insects in that book. I have also written a book about a certain kind of insect - BUTTERFLIES! You might find one or both of those books in your school library.
One interesting thing that many people do not know is that spiders are not insects (although we often refer to them as "bugs," they are actually arachnids). You might enjoy doing some research and finding out all the ways that insects and arachnids are different. Please write to me and tell me what you have learned if you do!
I have also written often about insects on my blog. If you click on the blog label "Insects," you will get a list of every story that has appeared there and find some very interesting photographs and stories about insects.
And finally, you might want to use my SeeMore Explorer Observation Log to write down details about what you see and help you identify insects that you spot in the world around you. Here is the link where you can download a copy. Print it out, head outdoors and start recording information about the insects all around you.
Thanks for writing, and enjoy your unit on INSECTS!
Seymour Simon
Posted by: Seymour Simon
May 8, 2013
I received this note today from students in Berlin, Wisconsin. They wrote:
We are studying about non-fiction author craft. We like your books. We like your photographs, your amazing facts, and interesting words. We were wondering what is your favorite book you have written?
Thank you,
Mrs. Graham’s First Grade Class
Dear Mrs. Graham’s Class:
Thank you so much for writing. I’m so pleased that you like my books, and that you think that I use interesting words. You are correct - choosing strong words that are very descriptive, or verbs that are full of action is very important if an author wants to make his or her story exciting.
I am afraid I cannot tell you what my favorite book is. That would be like a parent picking his favorite child. Generally, whatever book I am working on at the moment is my "favorite," because I get caught up in how fascinating each topic is. So right now, I am really loving EINSTEIN ANDERSON: SCIENCE GEEK, because that is the book that I have recently finished writing. You can even download a free chapter if you would like to try it out.
Did you know that there is a section on my website called FAQ? That stands for "Frequently Asked Questions," and it is full of all sorts of information about my books and my nonfiction writing. I think you might find some very useful details there while you are studying nonfiction author craft. Click here to read the answers to many questions that kids from around the world write and ask.
Thanks again for writing, and enjoy the end of the school year!
Seymour Simon
Posted by: Seymour Simon
May 8, 2013
Have you looked recently at all the different shades of green around you? If, like me, you are lucky enough to live in a part of the country where the seasons change, you are enjoying Spring right now. The thing I love best about Spring is that the landscape has come alive and it is splashed with many, many different shades of green.
Do you think that you know what color "green" is? When you look hard, especially in the springtime, you’ll see that green comes in many variations.
For today’s Writing Wednesday, I’d like you to look at this photograph, tell me how many different shades of green that you see, and describe three of them. Look hard - I bet you will find more than you ever imagined!
Posted by: Seymour Simon
