The Sun

by Seymour Simon

Seymour Simon presents a fascinating introduction to the star that is the center of our Solar System. Young readers will love exploring the wonders of the sun, from the constant nuclear explosions at its core to the sea of boiling gases that forms its surface. 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: Science, Space, Picture Books, Childrens, 2nd Grade, Nonfiction, Astronomy

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 1986

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

[Jolene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great informational book about the sun. It has a combination of facts about the sun, old stories about the sun, and projects/hands on sun activities to try. It also has a good mix of photographs and illustrations.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this Children's book as I was building a curriculum about the Sun for 5th grade students. This book has some incredible photos and information that both children and adults could enjoy. It also does a great job at giving a small peak into how scientists study something as exciting as the Sun.

[Bradley Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book the sun meanly tells about how the son is made and and tells how far away it is from other planets. It gives lots of info and it is an easy read.When I read the book it was parity easy and I am not a good reader.

[Isabella · Rating 3 out of 5]

i think this book was OK it wasant the best but was informational it had a lot of context and things like that it had good pics but did not have alot of pages to look at so if you like short books than this is for you. i dont think this book was for me tho

[Xiaoyu Liu · Rating 4 out of 5]

太阳为什么喷出日耳

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Science-great to introduce the sun and heat.

[DOUGLAS J BERRY · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brief look at the sun.

If you double tap the print it enlarges to a readable size. The illustrations and graphics are professional. You could spend a lifetime studying the sun.

[Anjalica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short but very good information a child would enjoy this book

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice update! I use this with "The Sun: One in a Billion."

Q2021 book

[Noelani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Supplement for Astronomy studies. Good info, some outdated information, good pictures.

[Diana Luna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Travel ninety three million miles away to a very hot place called the sun! Simon takes the readers to the sun in his informational book. This book is written for the purpose of teaching students all about the sun and different facts about our biggest star. With real life pictures taken, readers can understand what they are reading by looking at the pictures provided. Besides pictures, Simon displays graphs that further explain his facts. For example, when explaining the different layers of the sun, the diagram is helpful by representing and showing the different layers. This book would be best for students in older elementary or early middle school because words are a little more complex and not as simple to understand for younger students. As a future teacher, the book benefited me too. I was able to learn more about the sun that I was not taught in grade school. I would use this book to introduce more difficult terms in a science lesson or even suggest this book to a student who might do a report on the sun. The sun is a complex star and it is very important to us. What better way to learn about it than through a good informational book!

[Myles Woolstenhulme · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is an informative book all about the sun. I really enjoyed reading and learning about the sun and why it is so important in our lives. I think this book would be a really great book for a child in fourth of fifth grade would really love this book and find its information very interesting and useful. It is probably better for an older reader just because it has a lot of facts, and some of the words are hard to understand. I thought this book was very good.

[Natalie O'neill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seymour Simon is the author of many wonderful informational texts. This particular text is full of excellent pictures and diagrams that fit perfectly with the text and help clarify the reader’s understanding of the information presented. This book addresses and explains many technical facts about the sun, but does so in a way that children readers can understand. I very much enjoy using this book in my classroom as part of my informational text unit.

[Shawnessy]

Myles Woolstenhulme made me intersted in this book. A simply worded information piece, this book looks good to me. Learning something new about the very thing that supplies us life seems beneficial to me and very intriguing.

[Rose]

532.7 Sim

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intense photographs fascinate the reader along with facts about the sun and the solar system.

[Kristen Leininger]

Informational Book: This contained many interesting facts about the sun. Straight-forward and easy to understand. It was wanting of brighter, more vibrant illustrations.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Sun
Simon, Seymour *
a good children's resource

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was actually quite interesting for a children's book. As an adult, even I learned a few interesting facts about the sun.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has lots of information and real pictures. I would recommend this to higher level readers.