Eyes and Ears: An Engaging Science and Biology Book About for Kids

by Seymour Simon

The detailed parts and amazing functions of human eyes and ears are described through photographs, illustrations, optical illustions, and Seymour Simon’s clear, engaging text.  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. Seymour Simon knows how to explain science to kids and make it fun. He was a teacher for more than twenty years, has written more than 250 books, and has won multiple awards. This book includes an author's note, glossary, and index and supports the Common Core Learning Standards, Next Generation Science Standards, and the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) standards.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Picture Books

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

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).

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

Reviews

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative, but somewhat boring book about our eyes and ears. The narrative is detailed and appropriate for older children and the large color photographs help to depict the information. The optical illusions are neat, and the microscopic images are sometimes grotesque, but enlightening.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative and readable with nice illustrations and pictures. Not suitable as a read aloud, but good for elementary school research/learning.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good resource and supplement to my human body unit.

Q2021 book.

[Julia Adams]

This book is great for fifth graders and has a 890L Lexile level.

[Mandy Scheuren]

In this text, Seymour Simon does a great job digging deep to find information how the eye and ear work and sharing it with all his readers. The pages in this book are different each time you turn the page. The colors go from one extreme to the next, very “loud” and vibrant to “easy on the eye” colors. This book is made fun for younger children by having activities throughout the story such as optical illusions. There are great diagrams in Simon’s text, for example, showing how one sees normal compared to those who are farsighted and nearsighted. It also touches base on those who have difficulty hearing and explains why this happens. The story shows pictures of the actual human ear and what the inside looks like; kids will find this fascinating!

[Ch_wesley Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fascinating informational book gives children there first detailed look at the inner working of our eyes and ears. The information is well written with colorful pictures and illustrations that helps to enhance the book.

[Brittany N · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be great for a lesson on the human body. It goes into detail about the parts of the eye and ear. It also talks about the importance of the brain in relation to the 2.