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Sammy the Seal (I Can Read Book-Level 1)
by
Syd Hoff
A seal at school!
What happens when Sammy, the adventurous seal, leaves the zoo for the day? He goes to the city, finds a school full of kids and new things to do -- and he even learns to read!
What happens when Sammy, the adventurous seal, leaves the zoo for the day? He goes to the city, finds a school full of kids and new things to do -- and he even learns to read!
Paperback, 64 pages
Published
January 5th 2000
by HarperCollins
(first published 1959)
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Okay, so there’s a zoo full of happy, well-fed animals. They’re all just pumped to be behind bars. Everyone... except for Sammy. Sammy the Seal wants to go out and see the world. But Mr. Johnson the zookeeper isn’t worried. He knows that Sammy’ll be back.
As expected, Sammy doesn’t adjust well to the outside world. The cars move too fast, there’s no scheduled feeding time, nothing seems familiar, and he has difficulty fending for himself. Eventually, despite making friends with a group of school...more
As expected, Sammy doesn’t adjust well to the outside world. The cars move too fast, there’s no scheduled feeding time, nothing seems familiar, and he has difficulty fending for himself. Eventually, despite making friends with a group of school...more
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This book a classic read that I remember reading over and over again as a child with my Mom and my Grandmother. Sammy the seal doesn't want to leave the zoo for good, but he does want to see the outside world, even if it is just for a day or afternoon. The zoo keeper tells Sammy that he will allow him to go outside the zoo to explore for one day. Sammy uses this to his full advantage and sees the city. He learns that water to sit in when you are a seal can be hard to find, that school is fun, an...more
I actually never read any of Syd Hoff's books until I picked this up at Barnes & Noble to read it to my niece at the store.
Sammy the Seal is a fun book about a seal who lives in a zoo, and he wants to see what's outside the zoo. Mr. Johnson, the zookeeper, lets Sammy the seal out of his cage (what?!) so he can explore the city. He wanders the streets and observes people, jumps into a man's bathtub, and eventually ends up in an elementary school classroom. Although he enjoys his adventures, h...more
Sammy the Seal is a fun book about a seal who lives in a zoo, and he wants to see what's outside the zoo. Mr. Johnson, the zookeeper, lets Sammy the seal out of his cage (what?!) so he can explore the city. He wanders the streets and observes people, jumps into a man's bathtub, and eventually ends up in an elementary school classroom. Although he enjoys his adventures, h...more
Maybe I would have loved this if I'd read it first when I was little. Reading it as an adult, it just seemed silly - and not in a good way. Why would the zookeeper let Sammy leave the zoo and go exploring around town? Why would the teacher let Sammy stay in school? How can Sammy learn to read and write in the space of two sentences? ("Sammy learns to read. Sammy learns to write.") I usually don't mind some silliness and a bit of fantasy in stories, but this one wasn't a favorite. I did enjoy Syd...more
1 like · like · see review
This was one of my favorites as a child. I share this story every year in my classroom. Sammy is a seal who isn't satisfyed with living in the zoo and escapes to explore the city around him. While the grass isn't always greener, Sammy has some fun and returns to the zoo, where it is a 'just right fit' for him. This book always took me to a place where I thought it would be great to have a pet seal or some other exotic animal from the zoo. I think my parents bought it for me to remind me the city...more
Dec 19, 2011
Patty Valencia
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-picture
A sweet story about Sammy, a seal, who is allowed to venture out of the zoo to see what the world is like, because he is very well behaved. I remember reading this book as a small child countless times and really enjoying both the story and the pictures. As an adult, I still find this book to be adorable and enjoyable. The illustrations are very crisp and clean and look like something a very talented child artist would create. SAMMY THE SEAL is a wonderful little book.
For those familiar with th...more
For those familiar with th...more
This book is a classic that I used to read with my Mother when I was a little girl. This book emphasizes the importance of learning about new places and meeting people who are different, all while upholding the importance of the love of home. Students could use this book to learn about different types of homes (single parent, divorced, different houses, different towns, etc.). Young students will enjoy the likable title character and his zoo friends.
Jun 25, 2011
Dolly
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
parents reading with their children
This is a fun story - it's designed for beginning readers and has a simple narrative, but it is a bit long. Young readers might need to read it in parts. The idea of a seal going to school and playing sports is funny and quite fantastic. We enjoyed listening to this book narrated on audio CD by Charles Mintz while we followed along with the story.
This is probably truly the first favorite book I ever had. I like this book so much that I read it to my daughter's Kindergarten class when I was a Mom Reader...
I remember reading it as a kid and laughing everytime...moral of the story, there's no place like home.
Now I collect Syd Hoff books. Strangely enough, I named my daughter Sydney...not after the author, though :)
I remember reading it as a kid and laughing everytime...moral of the story, there's no place like home.
Now I collect Syd Hoff books. Strangely enough, I named my daughter Sydney...not after the author, though :)
Sammy is a seal that lives in a zoo and one day he gets the chance to leave the zoo. Sammy ventures out into the city and finds a group of school students and they teach him many new things. One big thing he learns to do is read. A seal actually learns to read, believe it or no. Sammy loved being out of the zoo, but then he realizes that there is no place like home.
This is a great read for teaching students science as it pertains to animals,natural habitat, diet, etc. An educator can also use the book to teach a little Geography. Sammy is a wonderful character for teaching students how to find one's place in the world.Also, it is a wonderful read for addressing the school culture and the purpose for attending school.
Sammy the seal wants to leave the zoo and explore the city. He has quite an experince and even goes to school. In the end, he discovers their is no place like home. As I read this book, I thought this is too far-stretched for my imagination lol. I liked the book though and it would be okay to have on the shelf just for free reading time.
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Read this while shopping for other things in Barnes & Noble. Sweet enough message that there's no place like home, but kinda strange, that for the seal, that he prefers the zoo! I know, I know, it's fiction, but it just struck me as odd today. Some other day, and I might have felt more sappy and sentimental about this story.
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My second favorite children's author, right after Dr. Seuss! I love these books by Syd Hoff ... the illustrations are fabulous. They are simple, clear stories, just fanciful for a child to enjoy, with just a hint of a good lesson. This one is "There's no place like Home" ... though it expresses that it is sometimes good to get away and see new places. Wonderful story!
A blast from the past. I liked reading the story, Sammy The Seal again. I first read this book when I was in the 2nd Grade (many,many, many years ago). It is still a great book and it makes you want a seal as a pet. Great book if you are getting younger kids (3-5) to start reading.
This book is a classic and I read it when I was younger. This book addresses how important it is to learn about new places and also people who are different from us. The book talks about different types of families that exist today and this is a good way to learn about homes such as a single family or a divorced home.
Sammy the Seal loves the zoo but he wants to see what it's like on the outside. The zoo keeper opens the gate and Sammy goes on an adventure through the town and eventually settles down at a school. Fun book with simple text for early readers.
This book is about a seal that wants to feel what life is like outside of home. As he does this, he really likes it, but wants to return home. This is when he realizes that "there is no place like home."
Anxious to see what life is like outside the zoo, Sammy the seal explores the city, goes to school, and plays with the children but decides that there really is no place like home.
Cute story for early readers. A seal tired of the zoo, tries to find his place, he is curious about everything. He loves school but is happy to go home, back to the zoo.
this was one of my most favorite books as a kid. I really enjoy this illustrations the author uses. He is also one of my favorite authors for children's books.
My girls love to read this book to me and I find a lot of it very funny. Great beginning reader because the pictures help so much in predicting the words.
This was not good. There was no logical flow in the plot of the story. It would not be a good book for any activities because it doesn't make since.
Update: 2 days later. Emerson loves Sammy.
A seal at school. Sammy learns to spell and write in cursive. A seal in the bathtub. Volleyball. Vintage 1959 style drawings.
From the back seat of the Prius, Emerson listens to this book on CD. He usually says, "No this book. Dor-doy". Translation: not this book, I want to listen to Corduroy. So I suppose you could say Emerson would give this book a low rating. Or is it just that he REALLY LOVES Corduroy.
Either way, Sammy the Seal is a very good book....more
A seal at school. Sammy learns to spell and write in cursive. A seal in the bathtub. Volleyball. Vintage 1959 style drawings.
From the back seat of the Prius, Emerson listens to this book on CD. He usually says, "No this book. Dor-doy". Translation: not this book, I want to listen to Corduroy. So I suppose you could say Emerson would give this book a low rating. Or is it just that he REALLY LOVES Corduroy.
Either way, Sammy the Seal is a very good book....more
Sammy went out of the water, but seals need water. It was pretty cool that he went to school and didn't die.
This is a fun, easy to read book. A great book for the classroom library. Short and simple but fu. To read.
I enjoyed reading this book. You can use this book to assist you when teaching young readers to read.
I loved this book as a kid. It is a simple read , but I think funny for children.
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Whether you’re seven or seventy, the chances are you’ve probably come in contact with one of his many books (150 plus), or cartoons that have appeared in over 200 magazines in the course of his lifetime, including Laugh it Off which was syndicated for 20 years. His comic strip Tuffy, about a little girl who did funny things, was declared essential for national morale during WWII by William Randolp...more
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