January 13, 2012

Look who is on the front of Barnes & Noble’s "Ages 6-8" eBook homepage! If you have been thinking about trying a Seymour Simon eBook for your iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch or Nook Color, now could be the time. Seymour is running an end of season blowout sale, with some of his very popular eBooks priced under $2.

Parents and Educators who have followed Seymour Simon’s work over the years know that he has always been very forward looking when it comes to technology. Back in the 1980s, when personal computers were first becoming available, he wrote a whole series of books for kids about using computers. The titles seem very quaint now (remember THE BASIC BOOK, or MEET THE COMPUTER?!), but he has always embraced technology and the wonderful opportunities it presents for kids to learn and explore.

Today, Seymour Simon has embraced eBooks as a new technology for encouraging young readers. Some of these books are new titles that he has created specifically for eReaders (like WHY DO KITTENS DO THAT? and SILLY ZOO ANIMAL JOKES & RIDDLES). But, he also sees this as an opportunity to bring some of his treasured, out-of-print older books like ANIMAL FACT / ANIMAL FABLE, and the PLANET books back to life. 

If you have access to a digital reader (or you know a kid who does), this is the time to give these eBooks a try. After all, lifelong readers find their way in through all sorts of different channels.

December 18, 2010

The mobile books for sale inside my SCIENCE FUN TO GO app have been reduced to $1.99 until December 24. We want to make it affordable for parents, educators and families to try downloading a book for their kids. I know that some authors and publishers are worried about eBooks, feeling that it is very important for kids to read "real books."

I have to say that I respectfully disagree with my colleagues on this point. I think that the important thing is that kids are reading - and especially, that they are reading non-fiction as well as fiction. I don’t really care if they are reading a physical book, enjoying a book on a computer, or even taking their eBooks along with them on a mobile phone. They are all "books," and the most important thing is for young kids to have a great reading experience.

Earlier this year, Scholastic surveyed more than 2,000 children ages 6 to 17 and their parents about digital reading. About 25 percent of the children surveyed said they had already read a book on a digital device, including computers and e-readers. Fifty-seven percent between ages 9 and 17 said they were interested in doing so. Among parents who either owned an e-reader or planned to buy one in the next year, eighty-three percent said they would allow or encourage their children to use the e-readers.

Francie Alexander, the chief academic officer at Scholastic, said:

"I didn’t realize how quickly kids had embraced this technology. Clearly they see them as tools for reading - not just gaming, not just texting. They see them as an opportunity to read."

The books that I have adapted for the SCIENCE FUN TO GO app include some gorgeous, illustrated, non-fiction picture books of mine that publishers have allowed to go out of print. Both the illustrators and I are happy to be able to give them new life as eBooks.

There will also be three additional books coming online in the next week, including a brand new, just completed book called WHY DO PUPPIES DO THAT? That means that by the end of this week, there will be seven of my eBooks available through my SCIENCE FUN TO GO app, none of which are available any other store. We have priced them for this week only at $1.99 so that families who are getting new digital readers for the holidays can try them out with their kids.

Please give one of these eBooks a try, and write and let me know what you think. The beauty of this digital age is that we are creating and publishing directly for you, my readers. Your feedback will be heard and will inform what we create in future.

Thank you, and happy holidays to all!

- Seymour

December 17, 2010

Now you can see a preview of one of the original eBooks that you can download from Seymour’s new SCIENCE FUN TO GO app. At only $3.99, it’s fun and it builds early literacy skills for your favorite elementary schooler! CLICK HERE to view a sample of how the "Read to Me" functionality works for younger kids.

We’ve also heard rumors that there may be some price discounting before Christmas. Keep checking back here (or on the app itself) for details!