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I am so excited about meeting Seymour Simon, a superstar author of children's non-fiction, at the Kutztown University Children's Literature Conference this weekend!  I will be tongue-tied, I'm sure.  Simon's books are age-appropriate, well-written, well researched and so much fun to read.

So in honor of Simon's appearance in Southeastern-ish PA, I am featuring his website for Kids Book Website Tuesday.  Click here to read about his books, his blog, get advice for teachers, parents and homeschoolers.  Yay!  Seymour Simon rocks!

Just one of Seymour Simon's many wonderful science books for children.

Having done a Storytime Corner on cats, it only makes sense that we’d have to do one on dogs, right?  I’m a cat person myself, but these dog stories are completely irresistible.  And to keep all your parents and kids happy, you could even consider mixing up the dog and cat stories to make an integrated “Pets” program!

STORIES:

IF YOU GIVE A DOG A DONUT by Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond (On-sale 10.4.11)

THAT PUP! by Lindsay Barrett George

NO DOGS ALLOWED! by Anne Davis

TEN LITTLE PUPPIES/Diez perritos by Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy, illustrated by Ulises Wensell

Usually when I do storytimes, I like to make some books available for checkout that follow the theme.  Here are a few ideas of books you can display for checkout post-program:

CHARLIE THE RANCH DOG by Ree Drummond, illustrated by Diane deGroat
DOGS by Seymour Simon
HARRY THE DIRTY DOG by Gene Zion, illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham
HIP HOP DOG by Chris Raschka, illustrated by Vladimir Radunsky
I AM THE DOG by Daniel Pinkwater, illustrated by Jack E. Davis
MAGGIE’S BALL by Lindsay Barrett George
ZOOMER by Ned Young

I started compiling song, rhyme, and craft ideas…and then I realized that Storytime Katie had most likely already put together something fabulous for a dog-themed storytime.  And she had.  Check out her

Okay, so I know you’re going to say I’m biased, but I’m a huge fan of Seymour Simon.  As a librarian, I was always comfortable recommending his books  - he was one of my reliables, an absolute go-to.  Recently, I’ve had opportunities to work with him and, I have to confess, he’d have a lot of us beat in the pop culture and technology departments: Seymour knows more about Idol than I ever would and has all the latest gadgets that I’m still slightly scared of.

With that in mind, you have to check out Seymour Simon’s website and blog.  Here is just a glimpse of the coolness you’ll find there:

• You’ll find out about his books available on the iPad and Nook Color (for a complete list of his books available digitally, click here).
• For educators, specifically, check out the teachers’ guides and discussion guides (registration required).
• Request an author visit: in-person or Skype.
• Seymour’s blog is amazing.  He updates it regularly with fascinating trivia, articles, and information.
• Speak to Seymour directly – he’ll answer  your questions!
• You should also check out Seymour’s Science Fun to Go app through iTunes.

Want to meet Seymour in person?  The correct answer, of course, is yes.  He’ll be at the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) conference in San Francisco this coming weekend!  On Friday, March 11th, from 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm, he’ll be accepting his award for the NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 – listen to him speak about GLOBAL WARMING.  On Saturday, March 12th, he’ll be on a panel, “Science with Seymour Simon and Wendy Saul: Developing the Language of Science”, from 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm at the Moscone Center, Room 262 on Saturday.  Stop by and say hi to Seymour!

The following books, no matter how simple or complex, have been selected to motivate the earth-conscious spirit within all of us ... Read the rest of this post

Earth Hour is on March 27—that's tomorrow—at 8:30pm (local time). Here are a couple of book suggestions that make the hot-topic of climate change, kid friendly: