Label: EBooks
July 24, 2011
Free App Today!
Wow! Seymour Simon’s SILLY DINOSAUR RIDDLES book app is today’s "Free App of the Day" on the Amazon homepage. Even if you already own this eBook app, go ahead and download it again today, because we have added fun new features like a Dinosaur Quiz (take it to check your dino knowledge!) and word highlighting.
Click here to get it for your Android phone, and tell your friends!
Posted by: Liz Nealon
July 1, 2011
eBook Giveaway!!
Have you entered the drawing to win a free iPhone or iPad copy of Seymour Simon’s ANIMAL FACT ANIMAL FABLE? There are just three days left to enter
Here is everything you need to know:
Seymour Simon is giving away ten (10) free downloads of the iPhone or iPad version - with "read to me" narration - of an enduring favorite: ANIMAL FACT ANIMAL FABLE. If you are at least thirteen years old, go to Seymour’s new Facebook Author Page and "LIKE" that page. Ten randomly-chosen people who press "Like" between June 13 and July 3, 2011 will win a code for a free iPad or iPhone download of this Diane deGroat-illustrated eBook.
Don’t delay - this offer ends on Sunday!
Posted by: Liz Nealon
June 6, 2011
Guess What? Dogs Drink Just Like Cats!
One of the most popular posts on the Seymour Science blog this past year was called: DOGS vs CATS: An Experiment. We reported on a study that showed that unlike dogs, who slurp their water and make a mess when they drink, cats drink daintily, using their curled tongue to pull liquid into their mouths in a neat stream.
Two scientists at Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology decided to study dog drinking habits and see if this is actually true. They found that the way dogs get liquids into their mouths is very similar to what a cat does. And they have an x-ray to prove it!
Click here to see an x-ray of a dog drinking.
It turns out that dogs, just like cats, form their tongues into a "scoop" to pick up liquids. And also like cats, the liquid sticks to the tongue, forming a stream that is trapped when the animal closes its mouth.So dogs and cats are very much alike, at least when it comes to drinking!
To read more about puppies and why they do what they do, download my new eBook, WHY DO PUPPIES DO THAT? You can buy an iPad version in the iTunes store, and it is now also available for the Nook Color. Happy reading!
Posted by: Seymour Simon
June 2, 2011
Why Do Puppies…..?
Seymour Simon’s new eBook, WHY DO PUPPIES DO THAT?, is now available as an app for the iPad.
This "read to me" book is full of fascinating, real information about puppies, and you will also see some of the cutest puppy photographs we could find!
It is on sale for $3.99 for this first week in the iTunes app store (through Saturday, June 4). Try it and let us know what you think!
Posted by: Liz Nealon
May 27, 2011
Silly Dino Featured App!
If you haven’t tried Seymour Simon’s SILLY DINOSAUR RIDDLES eBook yet, this could be the week! We are so pleased to be a Featured App in the Android Marketplace (thank you, Google!). And in honor of the occasion, we have lowered the price to $1.99.
So, if you have an Android phone, pick up this very funny, eBook original today!
Posted by: Liz Nealon
May 4, 2011
SILLY DINOSAUR RIDDLES
Did you know that Seymour Simon’s new eBook, SILLY DINOSAUR RIDDLES, is now available as a single app that you can buy for your iPhone, iPad, iTouch, or Android phone? And it has "Read to Me," too! Click here to see and hear a video preview of the eBook.
Better yet, it is on sale, this week only, for just $1.99.
Can you guess the answer to this riddle?
Click on the "Comments" link at the bottom of this story to tell us what you would call a scared Tyrannosaurus!
Posted by: Liz Nealon
February 8, 2011
New FREE eBook!
Over the summer, I got a call from Barnes and Noble. "Hey Seymour," they said. "We’re making the first color reader for kids. How would you like to write a book for us that we can give away to every single person who either buys a NookColor device, or downloads the NookColor app for their iPad?"
That sounded pretty good to me, so after some discussion, we decided to create a book called FUN FACTS ABOUT PETS. I did a lot of research to come up with unusual and surprising facts about common (and not so common) household pets.
The 11 pets profiled in this book are:
Bunnies, cats, dogs, goldfish, guinea pigs, hamsters, lizards, parakeets, pot-bellied pigs, snakes and Shetland ponies.
Do you know why cats go night crazy?
Have you ever heard that pot-bellied pigs are so smart that some can open the refrigerator when they are hungry?! And you’ll discover that dogs’ feet sweat (and why). The book is really a lot of fun, and to top it off, actress Leslie Carrara (Abby Cadabby) does a spirited, funny reading that gives the book a dose of extra pizzazz!
Thanks to all the folks at Barnes and Noble.com for working with us to make this special eBook available free to all my readers. Go to the page for FUN FACTS ABOUT PETS on my website, where you will find links to either download the free book for your NookColor, or a link to download the NookKids app for your iPad.
Happy reading!
Posted by: Seymour Simon
December 17, 2010
Preview SILLY DINOSAUR RIDDLES
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!
Posted by: Liz Nealon
October 20, 2010
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.
Often, I will decide to do a book simply because it is on a topic that I know kids will love. I’ve just finished up a new book with my good friend, the illustrator Dennis Kendrick. It’s called Silly Dinosaur Riddles, and it hits two enduring hot spots for elementary-aged kids — they love dinosaurs, and they love to tell jokes and riddles! So, deciding on that topic was easy, and we’re delighted with the way that it came out. It’s also going to be my first original eBook - designed to read on a smartphone, an iPad, or any other tablet reader. More and more schools and libraries are buying these devices to use with kids, and I’m excited to be creating books that children can read on one of these new readers.
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
March 26, 2010
Wireless Mobile Apps for Kids…...in 3D?! Wow!
One of the most exciting things we saw at the CTIA Wireless convention this week was today’s Keynote address. The panel speakers included Aneesh Chopra (the White House Chief Technical Officer or CTO); Biz Stone (co-founder of Twitter) and James Cameron (director of AVATAR). 
When the moderator asked Cameron what is most on his mind when it comes to wireless, he (predictably) said "Be thinking about your 3D apps, because this stuff is coming."
Then Cameron said something that blew my mind - I don’t know why I didn’t think of this myself. He said that you don’t need 3D glasses for a single-viewer experience on a small screen like a smartphone. You simply tilt the screen until the image comes into 3D focus for you. 
I’ve written ten 3D books for Scholastic Book Clubs, and they have been very popular with kids. The idea that I can do 3D phone apps, or 3D eBooks, is very exciting. For those reading this who are teachers, Scholastic’s Lucky Book CLub is featuring "See in 3D: SHARKS" and "See in 3D: UNDER THE SEA" this month, and will offer "See in 3D: WILD WEATHER" in their April 2010 flyer.
Posted by: Seymour Simon
