Dolphins

by Seymour Simon

Friendly and fascinating, dolphins are one of nature’s most intelligent animals. They live in families  called pods and can make a series of 2,000 high-pitched clicks to locate fish in the water. Despite  their beauty and playfulness, dolphins face serious dangers from commercial fishing and human  activity. It’s vital that people support governmental laws to protect these wonderful creatures.  Award-winning science writer Seymour Simon gives you an expert view of these clever, curious,  and mischievous mammals in a full-color photographic introduction.  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, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2009

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

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I do rather wish that Seymour Simon would in Dolphins for one provide a bit more and also considerably harsher and vehement criticism and condemnation regarding the many human-caused threats that many dolphin and porpoise species and in particular river dolphins often do have to face (including pointing out just how critically endangered especially fresh water dolphins actually are and that China’s Yangtze River Dolphin is more than likely extinct due to industrial pollution, factory farming, exponential human population increases etc.) and that for two, a section on cetacean evolution would in my opinion and definitely make Dolphins more thorough, more educational. But indeed, with regard to a general introduction and presenting what dolphins and porpoises look like, how they live, how they hunt for food, and how they socialise, Dolphins is indeed very nicely informative (and that Seymour Simon’s presented text for Dolphins is penned with sufficient detail for the intended audience, for children from about the ages of seven to ten, but without tending to incomprehensibility and confusion, as Simon keeps his words and writing style both decently simple and also necessarily engaging, not to mention that the accompanying colour photographs for Dolphins also provide a nice visual introduction to dolphins and porpoises).

And finally (but importantly), while I wish that Dolphins would also include a list of books with suggestions for further reading, I of course do appreciate that Seymour Simon does provide websites. And yes, I equally have to admit that albeit for me personally bibliographic websites are not quite the same as lists featuring actual book titles, I equally and indeed do realise that for many of today’s children, researching the internet is likely considered much more relevant and significant than consulting, than reading actual “paper” books. So yes, I indeed very much and highly recommend Dolphins and definitely do consider it a major positive that Seymour Simon finally seems to have realised the importance of also providing information for supplemental research and studying for his young readers (even though in my opinion it would definitely be much better and research friendly if both books and websites were featured and being provided in Dolphins).

[Sam]

This book provides the reader with many facts about dolphins. It talks about different kinds of dolphins, porpoises, and even whales. You will learn a lot about dolphins from where they live to how they care for their babies and much more.

This book has a lot of information in it. I like how each page starts a new topic about dolphins. I could see this being used by a teacher to teach about dolphins or marine life.

I would connect this book with In the Sea by David Elliott as he uses poems to present information about the things in the ocean including dolphins.

"Write letters to government officials asking them to strengthen the protection of animals." This quote can be used to talk about how everyone can help make a difference in the world. It shows one way that everyone is able to help make a change.

[Jyothi Gispanski · Rating 5 out of 5]

CC: dolphins

[Alexia Powell · Rating 3 out of 5]

species, whales, dolphins, fresh water, danger, oceans, pollution, babies

[Trevor Rau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very much like Nic's books. I really enjoy the single object informational books that go in depth about an animal. This would be a great book for my students.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like all the Seymour Simon books, this is informative and full of beautiful photographs. No-nonsense non-fiction.

[Chris Francik · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short non-fiction texts for children includes many full color photos and detailed information about dolphins.

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are about thirty five different kinds of dolphins and six kinds of porpoises. Killer whales are the biggest dolphins in the world. Dolphins are really nice. Orcas care for sick and injured members in the group.
Dolphins don’t chew their food. Some dolphins feed at night. Dolphins eat a variety of different kinds of foods. They eat squid and shrimp. They use their teeth to hold their prey. Dolphins usually swallow fish whole. Dolphins sometimes chase their prey to the shallow water so they can trap them there. They often work together to catch fish.
People are the greatest threat to dolphins because of their nets.
Here are some kinds of dolphins:
Bottle nosed dolphin
Common dolphin
Spinner dolphins
Risso’s dolphin Dall’s porpoise
Rough toothed dolphin Boto
Amazon River dolphin Atlantic spotted dolphin
Porpoise White beaked dolphin
Orca Fresh water river dolphin
Beached dolphin Atlantic striped dolphin


A dolphin has fins on both sides of its body so it can swim. It also has a fin on the top of its body. Dolphins have blowhole. They are mammals because they need to breath. Dolphins make like a squeaking noise when they talk. On the back of its body it has a tail to also help it swim. Dolphins also scratch each other with their teeth and they leave teeth marks. They also use bubble clouds from their blow holes to show their place of power. They sometimes bite, chase, and they smack their tails on the water.
Most dolphins live in the salty oceans. Only four dolphins live in fresh water rivers. Dolphins and Porpoises live in all the oceans of the world except in the coldest polar waters.
I love dolphins. Don’t you? Dolphins are wonderful.
The bottle nosed dolphin may be the best known dolphin. We see it more then we see other dolphins.
Here are some ways that we can help dolphins so we can keep them safe:
Put beach litter into the trash can
If you are in a boat when you spot a dolphin ask the driver to slow down and avoid turning or reversing suddenly.
Do not harass dolphins and don’t pursue them if they leave.
Help beached dolphins and Porpoises by calling the local police, aquarium, or department of conservation.
Write letters to government officials asking them to strengthen the protection of animals.

A red tide is poison. Fish eat the poison and dolphins eat the fish and die. That is bad isn’t it? During a red tide, many dolphins may get killed or injured. In the Pacific Ocean tuna swim with dolphins.
More than fifty years ago, many thousands of dolphins were killed in tuna nets every year. These day’s divers and sailors release any dolphins caught in the nets.

[Kelli Overcash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Title: Smithsonian Dolphins by Seymour Simon

Short Description of Book: This is an informational text published by Smithsonian. It provides a general overview of dolphins and includes pictures, a glossary, and an index.

FOCUS: Informational features I would use in a mini lesson
1. Introduction: Go over the basic elements of an introduction with the class and explain its importance for setting the tone of the piece of writing.
2. Read the book aloud to the class without reading page 5, the introduction page.
3. After reading the book, discuss how the students felt listening to the story without an introduction.
4. Break the class into groups and have them write their own introduction based on the story. (This exercise can also be used to test comprehension and concept of main idea).
5. Have each group share their introduction with the class. Once each group has shared, read the author’s introduction. How did the class introductions compare?

TEACH: CCS Connection (8)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2a Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.2 Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.

[Taylor Boik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dolphins by Seymour Simon is a book from the Smithsonian collection. This is an informational book that touches on the surface of dolphins. Every page has a different picture of dolphins along with some information and facts. It starts off telling you that there are different types of dolphins and how they are classified. Then moves on to tell you where they live, what they eat, how they catch their prey, they size of them, and how they are born. The last few pages of the book talks about threats to dolphins and how you can help, which is a very important part of this book.

This book falls under the informational text genre. You can tell that it is informational text just based off its name and cover, but this book also includes a glossary, index, and a read more about it section. Which are all characteristics of informational text. This book would be very suiting for young readers for a few reasons, one it doesn’t go deep into the subject but still gives good information, two it is pretty short so they don’t get bored, along with lots of pictures to keep them intrigued.

[Jessica Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book "Dolphins" by Seymour Simon. All ages.

This is a nonfiction book. It is all about Dolphins and the different types there are. I gave this book a three star because it not only talked about dolphins but all the different types of dolphins that I never even knew where dolphins. The colors and illustrations in this book were beautiful especially the ones with the animals coming out of the water. I feel children who like dolphins would very much be interested in this book. I could use this book to explain to the children that when you think dolphin you only think there is one type but there are many. Even whales are considered to be a dolphin. Who Knows?

[Chris Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

Average photography, bland formatting and uninspired writing do not do justice to the cetaceans represented in this book. It won't hurt anyone to read it, but it could have been so much more. Even within topical sections, at times the text does not seem to follow a logical progression, though many interesting facts about dolphins can be found. I was particularly frustrated by the lack of captions in the photographs. There were times when multiple dolphin species were described on a page opposing a photograph of a single dolphin. Which one am I looking at?

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great nonfiction selection for elementary students. The pictures are wonderful and Simon, as always, does a great job of providing accurate, interesting facts.

I wish that the pictures had captions. In most cases, the text goes along with the pictures but more explanation might have been helpful or interesting.

A solid selection for elementary school libraries. Recommended for grades 3 - 5.

[Jaycee Knoulton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nature, dolphins
Understanding dolphins and their role in their ecosystem would be great for a science course. In highs school students are to understand the different roles played by producers, consumers, and decomposers in an aquatic ecosystem and this book about dolphins is a great tie into this lesosn.
TEKS 112.32. Aquatic Science, High School
c.5.C) analyze interrelationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers in a local aquatic ecosystem.

[Jose V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This informatinal book is awesome.It's about dolphins what they do and how they do things.Once I saw a dolphin in the ocean.I wonder if dolphins will die because the pollution?I want to remember the dolphin jumping out of the sea.I recomend this book to anyone who love dolphins.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book about dolphins. Gives a lot of good facts about dolphins and has amazing pictures in the book. Children would like this book if they like to learn about dolphins or if they are doing a project on an animal.

[Lizzy Lan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book describes dolphins from how they eat, communicate, survive, and play. It also describes the different kinds of dolphins and what their specific traits are. The photographs are very large and full of color.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is all true acts about dolphins. they live in pods which is like their families and they face dangers everyday like fishing nets. i would use this book to talk about their families and the duties that each one has in their pods or their family.

[Karen Arendt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative. I wish there were captions for the full page photos. The photographs are awesome!

[Deserie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think this is a good example of a different type of lead for a nonfiction text. He uses a few different anecdotes.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

June 2, 2009, Seymour Simon, Grades: K-5, Animals: Non-Fiction

One of nature's most intelligent animals! Great book to learn about Dolphins.

[Dalton Dettbarn]

This is a great book to teach students about Dolphins.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great photographs!

[Courtney Sabo]

oceans, dolphins, information, source

[Andrea Trochez]

dolphins. sea life. orcas. nature.