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Weather: An Informative Picture Book About Meteorology with Stunning Photographs for Kids (Ages 6-10)
Join award-winning science writer Seymour Simon in this picture book introduction to weather! This nonfiction picture book is an excellent choice to share during homeschooling, in particular for children ages 6 to 8. It’s a fun way to learn to read and as a supplement for activity books for children. Ever wonder what makes the wind blow? Or where clouds come from, or rain? And what about the warmth of a summer day? Every day we experience weather, but why do we experience the weather the way we do? With clear, simple text and stunning full-color photographs, readers will learn all about the way weather works in this informative picture book! Perfect for young scientists’ school reports, this book supports the Common Core State Standards. Check out these other Seymour Simon books about
40 pages, Paperback
First published August 16, 1993
6 people are currently reading
102 people want to read
About the author
Seymour Simon
323 books127 followersSeymour 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).
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, where he lives with his wife Liz Nealon.
You can follow Seymour on Facebook and on Twitter, as well as on his website, which offers free, downloadable Teacher Guides to his books for educators, parents and homeschoolers, as well as the popular Seymour Science Daily Blo
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, where he lives with his wife Liz Nealon.
You can follow Seymour on Facebook and on Twitter, as well as on his website, which offers free, downloadable Teacher Guides to his books for educators, parents and homeschoolers, as well as the popular Seymour Science Daily Blo
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 10, 2018
It's not clear whom the intended audience. It is told more in story form than as a reference book, but it is not told as accessibly as a story, which feels like it would test the patience of young listeners. There are some great photos, but giving examples that would probably work better as diagrams.
February 27, 2016
While reading the book "Weather", I learned a lot of fun facts. First, The USA has more tornadoes than any other country in the world, averaging around 1200 a year. Second, the Earth experiences millions of lightning storms every year. These two first facts are very shocking because 1,200 tornadoes is a lot for 1 country and over 1 million lightning storms a year is incredibly insane. Third, the heaviest hailstone ever recorded weighed 1 kg and it landed in Gopalganj District, Bangladesh on April 14, 1986. That is very shocking because 1 kg for a hailstone is too much. Fourth, the highest temperature ever recorded in Antarctica is 14.6 °C, recorded on January 5, 1974. Finally, the highest snowfall ever recorded in a one year period was 31.1 meters in Mount Rainier, Washington State. Therefore, these are a couple facts I learned from this book.
Another name that would be used as a title for this book would be The Climate. This would be a perfect name for this book because the book is all about the weather and the name that is used the most to talk about the weather is climate. That is why it would be a perfect name for the book "Wether". The author wrote this book because he wants to familiarize people about the Weather and how the weather brings natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes. He also wrote this book. because almost nobody knows this topic perfectly and not a lot of people know how natural disasters happen. This is an acrostic poem, that I decided to write.
W-arm
Extremely cold sometimes
A- always snowing in the winter
T- he cause of natural disasters like tornadoes
H- urricanes are caused by it
E- xtremely foggy sometimes
R- otation between climates
Therefore, these are three answers from the three questions.
I do not recommend this book to everyone. I recommend this book to people who like learning about new things and science lovers. Age wise, I recommend this book middle schoolers, because it wouldn't interest lower schoolers, and high schoolers would have probably learned about this topic in their science classes. My least favorite part of this book is that instead of saying the facts briefly, the book goes in the extreme description and that makes the book kind of boring. On the other hand, my favorite part of the book was when I learned that it's the climate that causes hurricanes and tornadoes. Thus, this books has its pros and cons.
Another name that would be used as a title for this book would be The Climate. This would be a perfect name for this book because the book is all about the weather and the name that is used the most to talk about the weather is climate. That is why it would be a perfect name for the book "Wether". The author wrote this book because he wants to familiarize people about the Weather and how the weather brings natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes. He also wrote this book. because almost nobody knows this topic perfectly and not a lot of people know how natural disasters happen. This is an acrostic poem, that I decided to write.
W-arm
Extremely cold sometimes
A- always snowing in the winter
T- he cause of natural disasters like tornadoes
H- urricanes are caused by it
E- xtremely foggy sometimes
R- otation between climates
Therefore, these are three answers from the three questions.
I do not recommend this book to everyone. I recommend this book to people who like learning about new things and science lovers. Age wise, I recommend this book middle schoolers, because it wouldn't interest lower schoolers, and high schoolers would have probably learned about this topic in their science classes. My least favorite part of this book is that instead of saying the facts briefly, the book goes in the extreme description and that makes the book kind of boring. On the other hand, my favorite part of the book was when I learned that it's the climate that causes hurricanes and tornadoes. Thus, this books has its pros and cons.
Read
March 3, 2020Ever wonder why the weather is the way it is? Why the wind blows in the direction it does? This book explains it all and more. The illustrations look as if someone took pictures of the scenery and draw the arrows on other pictures. The genre of this book would be informational. I know this from the book Children's literature. On page 210 in paragraph five it says "The writer of compelling nonfiction does not simply collect and display facts about a subject but weaves information about details seamlessly so that readers cannot resist reading more." The information this book was very interesting about the weather that it kept making me want to read more. I can see myself using this book when I teach a science subject to my students. I could read this book at a station with my students and ask them questions about what they just read. This will help the expand their mind with the weather.
November 2, 2023
REVIEW OF THE ORIGINAL 1993 EDITION (OPEN LIBRARY)
Well, and akin to many if not actually to the vast majority of the Seymour Simon non fiction children's picture books I have read to date, his 1993 Weather once again does not feature any bibliographic materials whatsoever. But while I am of course now no longer all that surprised at and by there generally not being any included bibliographies (having encountered a lack of sources being textually acknowledged at least ten times in Seymour Simon’s work and likely counting), I still remain rather academically frustrated and annoyed that Simon especially with his body of non fiction writing for children from the 1980s to around 2006 or so generally seems to consider bibliographies and secondary sources unnecessary and basically not even required. And while it does appear that a number of Seymour Simon’s more recent non fiction as well as updated editions of earlier tomes do now at least seem to provide websites for further study and research, most of the earlier picture books from Simon's pen that I have encountered on Open Library, generally and mostly do NOT, they generally contain no secondary source information AT ALL.
But that being said, albeit the non inclusion of a bibliography in Weather does majorly bother me simply because of academic principle alone (and will indeed always do so, since for me, non fiction should absolutely have adequate source acknowledgments), I also think that Seymour Simon’s text for Weather provides and offers a pretty decently factually, scientifically solid and informative introduction to all things weather related, penned for children above the age of seven or so, and thus Weather is also written simply enough for the intended audience but equally not verbally overwhelming with the gratuitous use of meteorological jargon (although yes, a few of Seymour Simon’s sentences in Weather do tend to read a bit patronisingly and as though the author is rather talking down to children, not all that often, mind you, but definitely enough for me to have occasionally noticed this and be made to feel a bit uncomfortable).
So while as a basic but thorough introduction Weather certainly does achieve its general purpose (giving sufficiently detailed information on temperatures, clouds, precipitation, why it is usually much much colder at the poles than at the equator and so on and so on, and mirrored by both accompanying photographs and some interesting illustrations, albeit that a bit more analysis and condemnation by Seymour Simon of man-made pollution and how it can and does negatively affect world weather and world weather patterns would in my humble opinion make this book a bit more heavy hitting and less potentially trivial), for me, Weather is (for obvious reasons) definitely only a very low (and rather grudging) three star ranking at best. And indeed, and finally, even if I have not actually read the more recent updated editions of Weather, I would definitely recommend these instead of the original 1993 edition (as the lack of a bibliography in the 1993 edition really is annoying and the more current editions of Weather might perhaps include at least some websites).
Well, and akin to many if not actually to the vast majority of the Seymour Simon non fiction children's picture books I have read to date, his 1993 Weather once again does not feature any bibliographic materials whatsoever. But while I am of course now no longer all that surprised at and by there generally not being any included bibliographies (having encountered a lack of sources being textually acknowledged at least ten times in Seymour Simon’s work and likely counting), I still remain rather academically frustrated and annoyed that Simon especially with his body of non fiction writing for children from the 1980s to around 2006 or so generally seems to consider bibliographies and secondary sources unnecessary and basically not even required. And while it does appear that a number of Seymour Simon’s more recent non fiction as well as updated editions of earlier tomes do now at least seem to provide websites for further study and research, most of the earlier picture books from Simon's pen that I have encountered on Open Library, generally and mostly do NOT, they generally contain no secondary source information AT ALL.
But that being said, albeit the non inclusion of a bibliography in Weather does majorly bother me simply because of academic principle alone (and will indeed always do so, since for me, non fiction should absolutely have adequate source acknowledgments), I also think that Seymour Simon’s text for Weather provides and offers a pretty decently factually, scientifically solid and informative introduction to all things weather related, penned for children above the age of seven or so, and thus Weather is also written simply enough for the intended audience but equally not verbally overwhelming with the gratuitous use of meteorological jargon (although yes, a few of Seymour Simon’s sentences in Weather do tend to read a bit patronisingly and as though the author is rather talking down to children, not all that often, mind you, but definitely enough for me to have occasionally noticed this and be made to feel a bit uncomfortable).
So while as a basic but thorough introduction Weather certainly does achieve its general purpose (giving sufficiently detailed information on temperatures, clouds, precipitation, why it is usually much much colder at the poles than at the equator and so on and so on, and mirrored by both accompanying photographs and some interesting illustrations, albeit that a bit more analysis and condemnation by Seymour Simon of man-made pollution and how it can and does negatively affect world weather and world weather patterns would in my humble opinion make this book a bit more heavy hitting and less potentially trivial), for me, Weather is (for obvious reasons) definitely only a very low (and rather grudging) three star ranking at best. And indeed, and finally, even if I have not actually read the more recent updated editions of Weather, I would definitely recommend these instead of the original 1993 edition (as the lack of a bibliography in the 1993 edition really is annoying and the more current editions of Weather might perhaps include at least some websites).
Read
December 13, 2025Weather
Simon, S. (2013). Weather. HarperCollins.
Genre and Format: Picture book; informational nonfiction.
Weather introduces young readers to the science of weather, explaining phenomena such as clouds, precipitation, storms, and climate patterns. The book presents clear, age-appropriate explanations that encourage observation and curiosity about the natural world.
Format and Illustrations: The book features vivid, realistic photographs paired with concise, accessible text. Diagrams, labeled images, and sidebars support comprehension and make abstract weather concepts tangible for early elementary students.
Content Area / Curriculum Tie-Ins:
- Science: Meteorology, weather patterns, storms, climate, observation
- ELA: Informational text, sequencing, cause and effect, vocabulary development
- Social Studies: Human adaptation to weather, safety, and environmental awareness
- Writing: Observation journals, “All About” books, weather reports
- STEM: Scientific observation, data collection, prediction, inquiry
- Social-Emotional Learning: Curiosity, responsibility, problem-solving
Simon, S. (2013). Weather. HarperCollins.
Genre and Format: Picture book; informational nonfiction.
Weather introduces young readers to the science of weather, explaining phenomena such as clouds, precipitation, storms, and climate patterns. The book presents clear, age-appropriate explanations that encourage observation and curiosity about the natural world.
Format and Illustrations: The book features vivid, realistic photographs paired with concise, accessible text. Diagrams, labeled images, and sidebars support comprehension and make abstract weather concepts tangible for early elementary students.
Content Area / Curriculum Tie-Ins:
- Science: Meteorology, weather patterns, storms, climate, observation
- ELA: Informational text, sequencing, cause and effect, vocabulary development
- Social Studies: Human adaptation to weather, safety, and environmental awareness
- Writing: Observation journals, “All About” books, weather reports
- STEM: Scientific observation, data collection, prediction, inquiry
- Social-Emotional Learning: Curiosity, responsibility, problem-solving
May 25, 2020
Genre: Nonfiction
Ages: 2nd-6th
This is not really the kind of book that one reads cover to cover but it is quite informational. The photographs are beautiful and it's a helpful way to quickly flip through the book to find the page that contains the information that one is looking for. The actual text was informative and detailed and the book covers a fairly wide phenomena of basic weather concepts. It does not contain information about extreme weather events like hurricanes and tornadoes, which I found a bit odd. It does contain the name fo regional winds - most of which I had never heard before reading this book. Overall, it's a good introduction to weather.
Ages: 2nd-6th
This is not really the kind of book that one reads cover to cover but it is quite informational. The photographs are beautiful and it's a helpful way to quickly flip through the book to find the page that contains the information that one is looking for. The actual text was informative and detailed and the book covers a fairly wide phenomena of basic weather concepts. It does not contain information about extreme weather events like hurricanes and tornadoes, which I found a bit odd. It does contain the name fo regional winds - most of which I had never heard before reading this book. Overall, it's a good introduction to weather.
September 20, 2017
This book is great for emphasizing the differences in weather. You can feel the warmth of a summer day; look at falling snow; listen to distant thunder. It shows that weather is all around us and is always changing. The real-life photos really aid in the understanding of all the weather types discussed in this book. It's a long read but would be perfect for a lesson about weather.
January 23, 2021
Very nice resource for my weather unit!
Q2021 book.
Q2021 book.
January 26, 2022
(I have an Updated Edition.) Succinct information. Includes all the vocabulary and information for a good unit study spine. Perfect information for a 3rd grader.
September 24, 2017
This is an informational book about weather and what conditions cause various forms of weather to occur. I love that this book is rich in information and written with a sense of wonder. This book is filled with great information about the different kinds of clouds, as well as the forms of water. It has great photos including a diagram of the atmosphere and could forms. I would use this book to teach older grades, like 4th and 5th, about the weather and atmosphere.
November 15, 2016
This book talks about the basic different types of weather we experience every year! Some of these include the different seasons and different aspects of weather there are. This book also includes the different types of clouds, rain, snow, and how weather affects us on a daily basis.
My favorite aspect of this book were the real life pictures to help the reader understand what the other is writing about
This book would be great to use in a classroom for a unit on weather. The book had great weather terminology that all children need to learn!
My favorite aspect of this book were the real life pictures to help the reader understand what the other is writing about
This book would be great to use in a classroom for a unit on weather. The book had great weather terminology that all children need to learn!
October 10, 2012
This is an awesome book to use with anyone studying the weather, particularly the clouds. It is a a youth book, but I feel that some of the best learning comes from these. Every child needs a strong working ability to read nonfiction text. This has a high interest and is rich with in vocabulary and content.
April 3, 2016
Weather is a book full of facts about well, weather! The book is full of rich vocabulary and expresses that each day brings new weather and that weather is different all around the world and that each day each type of weather can be found somewhere in the world. The author touches on weather patterns, different types of clouds, water, and scientists that are studying the weather.
April 11, 2009
Stratus clouds appear where there are no rising or falling air currents.
March 31, 2013
Great book that talks about various weather patterns.
Rich with weather vocabulary
Great read for weather unit
Rich with weather vocabulary
Great read for weather unit
January 4, 2014
Full of facts - very dense.
April 8, 2014
I read it because it is on my kids' Reading Olympics list. Well written, nice pics.
Want to read
March 20, 2009Unit on weather
May 17, 2017
This is a great book for children who are learning about weather. The book describes all the different types of clouds and even describes scientist who study weather. This is an awesome nonfiction book with great illustrations and rich vocabulary. I think children would really enjoy this nonfiction book. 4/5 stars for me!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews