Strange Mysteries from Around the World (Dover Children's Science Books) - Softcover

Simon, Seymour

3.49

47 ratings by Goodreads

9780486484716: Strange Mysteries from Around the World (Dover Children's Science Books)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0486484718 ISBN 13: 9780486484716

Publisher: Dover Publications, 2012

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Discover nine bizarre-but-true incidents: a sudden shower from the sky of fish and frogs; buried treasure that remains untouched, even though its exact location is common knowledge; the abrupt and unexplained disappearance of a ship's crew; an eerie crystal skull that influences observers' thoughts; and more!
Praised by The New York Times as "the dean of children's science writers," Seymour Simon is the author of more than 250 highly acclaimed science books. Strange Mysteries from Around the World features 13 photos and drawings and is written in a suspenseful manner that will captivate readers of all ages.

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About the Author:

Praised by The New York Times as "the dean of children's science writers," Seymour Simon 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.

5 Questions with Seymour Simon: An Exclusive Dover Interview
Mr. Simon was gracious enough to talk with us about his career as a teacher, his affiliation with the Smithsonian Institution, how humor can get children interested in science, and more.

You're a New York City native and a graduate of the Bronx High School of Science, so it sounds like you grew up in a highly urban setting. How and where did your formative experiences with nature take place?
I have loved nature since I was a young child. Although I grew up in the Bronx — a very crowded part of New York City — the natural world was all around me. There is weather in the city, just as there is in the country. You can see the sun, moon, and stars from a rooftop in the city. And I explored a vacant lot on my street, which wasn't exactly a park, but still had birds, earthworms, small plants, and trees. In fact, when I grew up, one of the first books I wrote was called Science in a Vacant Lot.

You were a science teacher for more than 20 years, and you've remarked that teaching is the best possible way to learn how to write for kids. Can you offer some examples of what your students have taught you?
I'm still a teacher and still a student too, for that matter. Students' interests range wide and deeply. They want to be treated with respect and have their questions answered and have you pay attention to their comments. I'm constantly writing in the same way that I think. There is a famous story that explains my writing too. The story goes that there is a teacher who is teaching a difficult subject and he can see by the expressions on his students' faces that they don't understand what he is teaching. So he teaches it a second time and he can see that they still don’t understand what he is teaching. So he teaches it a third time and finally...HE understands what he is teaching. That's how it goes with me. When I finally get it right, finally I understand what I'm writing and teaching.

Some of your books are authorized by the Smithsonian Institution, which is a highly prestigious endorsement for any science writer. How did your affiliation with them develop?
My publisher, HarperCollins made the arrangement with the Smithsonian Institution. What it meant for me is that I had an expert from the Smithsonian editing each of my books, which I am quite sure just made them better! It is indeed an honor to have my name associated with the Smithsonian.

Does your recreational interest in nature photography contribute to your work?
I am asked this a lot because there are so many photographs in my books. Sometimes I travel to places myself and take the photographs. I have photographed glaciers in Alaska, volcanoes in Hawaii, wildfires in California and weather in my backyard. Other times, I arrange to use other people's photographs. Often they are specialists — like a scientist who has been living in Antarctica and observing penguin behavior. Someone like that has photographs that I could never get in a single, short trip. I love nature photography, and have done many, many of my books as photo essays because I know that children love these photographs, too.

Some of your books — Body Sense, Body Nonsense, for example — take a playful look at scientific facts, so you must regard humor as a valuable tool in engaging young imaginations. What other approaches can parents and teachers take to get children interested in science and excited by the processes of observation and experimentation?
I created a document for teachers called "Writing Exciting Nonfiction." This details many different ways that a nonfiction author can engage young readers. Anyone can download this resource from www.seymoursimon.com.

Bonus Question!
Do you have a favorite Dover book?
I'm not sure if it is bad form to choose my own book, but I must say that I love Strange Mysteries. I wrote it many years ago, but today's kids are still fascinated by these mysterious, unsolved events.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 4-6. A revision of a 1980 title (Four Winds; o.p.). Eleven puzzling events or unusual objects not yet explained by scientists or investigators are described. Chapters on rains of frogs and fish, the amazing destruction caused by the Siberian "big bang" of 1908, the strangely abandoned ghost ship Mary Celeste, a haunting crystal skull from Belize, and unexplainable loud booms around the world remain basically the same, with minor update or rearrangement of paragraphs. The areas of most significant change from the earlier edition are the inclusion of possible explanations for fire walkers' abilities, continuing efforts to find the legendary treasure of Oak Island near Nova Scotia, and results of recent investigations into Kirlian photography. A new chapter, "Lights in the Night," offers an extended discussion of UFOs. The chapter on the origins of the "Shroud of Turin" has been left out in light of recent scientific studies. Black-and-white photographs in both books are similar or identical. Simon's enticingly simple and clear descriptions make the subjects accessible with no unsubstantiated speculations. Worn-out copies of the 1980 edition can be safely replaced with this updated version. The mysteries it describes are as intriguing now as they were when they first became mysteries.?Ann G. Brouse, Big Flats Branch Library, NY
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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