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Dinosaurs: Fact and Fable: A Picture Book About Paleontology, Fossils, and Extinction for Children
“If you love dinosaurs, you’ll love this book." — Steve Brusatte, paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh and New York Times bestselling author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs Join award-winning science writer Seymour Simon as he separates fact from fiction in a brilliant exploration of some of the most fascinating creatures to ever roam the dinosaurs! This nonfiction picture book is an excellent choice for both shared and independent reading during homeschooling and classroom learning, in particular for children ages 6 to 8. Scientists have dug up and uncovered many facts about dinosaurs—and in the process, they have come across many myths. This picture book digs deep into the Age of Dinosaurs, covering topics such as fossilization, plate tectonics, dinosaur diets, paleontology, extinction theories, dinosaur relatives, and more! Get ready to learn what we know about dinosaurs and what we still don’t know, and about the amazing new discoveries being made every single day. Perfect for young scholars’ school reports, Fact and Fable features clear text, vibrantly colored pages, engaging sidebars, and stunning full-color illustrations and photographs. This book includes an author's note, a glossary, a timeline, and an index and supports the Common Core State Standards. Check out these other Seymour Simon books about
48 pages, Hardcover
Published November 10, 2020
13 people want to read
About the author
Seymour Simon
322 books126 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 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 11, 2021
Our understanding of dinosaurs continues to evolve rapidly, giving nonfiction dinosaur books a fairly short shelf life. Seymour Simon's book includes new discoveries and corrects former misunderstandings, covering such topics as "Are Present-Day Birds Really Dinosaurs?" and "Hot-Blooded, Cold-Blooded and In Between" (dinosaurs are now hypothesized to be an "in between," heterotherms). With appealing layouts, clearly written and interesting text and vivid illustrations, this book would be a wonderful addition to any school or home library.
October 10, 2021
I picked this up because it was a nominee for the Towner non-fiction award. In general, this was very good, but I'm giving it only one star because it gave a fact I know to be untrue: it says that T rex was "the largest meat-eating dionsaur that ever lived." This is untrue, since the bigger meat-eater Gigantosaurus was discovered in 1993. Sloppy and disappointing, as I would have given this a much better rating otherwise
April 1, 2021
A very well done book about dinosaurs. Yes, there is always something new being learned about these creatures. Paleontologists consider to find and study fossils, bones, etc. New scientific equipment helps with these studies and the quest to learn more. Children who are enthralled with dinosaurs will thoroughly enjoy this new book.
March 24, 2021
Having a dinosaur obsessed kid means I’ve read dozens of kids dino books and this one stands out as a star. The pictures are great and it covers all sorts of topics that are (currently) up to date. Paleontology advances so quickly that some of the books our library has are sadly out of date.
November 15, 2020
If you love dinosaurs , you will love this book! It is fascinating& very informative!
March 2, 2021
Terrific book on Dino facts. Kids and I loved it.
December 31, 2021
A very good book. There have been a lot of new discoveries since I last studied dinosaurs.
February 6, 2021
Reviewer #4
Great read for the child interested in dinosaurs beyond the basics. This book goes into the earliest dinosaur discoveries, how dinosaurs get their names and what colors scientists believe dinosaurs were. It ends with a description of the two main hypotheses about what caused the end of the Age of Dinosaurs, the asteroid explanation and the volcano explanation. Future paleontologists will be fascinated!
Great read for the child interested in dinosaurs beyond the basics. This book goes into the earliest dinosaur discoveries, how dinosaurs get their names and what colors scientists believe dinosaurs were. It ends with a description of the two main hypotheses about what caused the end of the Age of Dinosaurs, the asteroid explanation and the volcano explanation. Future paleontologists will be fascinated!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews