Wildfires

9 August 1931

Seymour Simon was born and raised in the Bronx in New York City. He attended highschool at the Bronx School of Science. After graduating from the City College of New York with a degree in animal behavior, he worked as a schoolteacher. In 1963 he was asked by Scholastic Inc. to write an article about the moon in anticipation of the moon landing, and he began writing articles for Scholastic magazines. After writing articles for several years, he wrote his first book, Animals in Field and Laboratory (1968). In 1979 he left teaching to become a full-time author. He has written more than 250 books about science for children, and continues to visit schools to talk about science.

Seymour Simon 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. His books encourage children to enjoy the world around them through learning and discovery, and by making science fun. 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 …