December 24, 2010
Between now and the New Year, we are going to re-run 2010’s Top Ten postings from the Seymour Science blog so that we can share some of this year’s best writing with our newer readers. Today’s entry is a column in which Seymour talks about how he decides what to write.
DINOSAURS, GALAXIES AND TRAINS
People often ask me how I choose the subjects for my books. Titles come about in all sorts of ways.
Sometimes it is simply a topic that I am very passionate about (hence all my books about Space and exploring our universe - this has been a fascination for me since I was a little kid). At other times, my editor and I decide what is needed to "fill out" an existing series. For example, my recent Collins/Smithsonian books have been dealing with environmental topics like Global Warming and Tropical Rainforests, and now I’m just beginning research on a third topic for that environmental strand, about Coral Reefs.

Back in 2002, I wrote two books that I knew my young grandsons would love — Seymour Simon’s Book of Trucks, and Seymour Simon’s Book of Trains. One of the very nice things about writing for children is that books have long lives. Every three or four years, you get a new crop of kids who grow into the topic or reading level, and fall in love with your book all over again.
That happened this week with my Book of Trains, when I discovered this lovely review by Frances Loving, a librarian who writes a thoughtful blog called Quiet Ramblings. The book may be almost ten years old, but it’s clearly still relevant for her students! Click here to read her review.
I always like to hear from readers, parents and teachers. If there is a topic that you’d like to see me cover, drop me a note here and let me know!
Posted by: Seymour Simon




