Eyes and Ears

by Seymour Simon

Overview

Your eyes help you see colors and shapes.
Your ears help you hear -- and also enable you to keep your balance.
Did you ever wonder how these important organs work?

Acclaimed science writer Seymour Simon has the answers, presented here in his award-winning style. His clear, fluid discussion of the eye and how it sees is accompanied by astonishing photographs that show the cornea, retina, and other eye parts. Diagrams are included for clarity, and optical illusions demonstrate the role the brain plays in seeing. The functions of the ear, which is pictured in close-up images and diagrams, are also carefully explained.

Seymour Simon tells you what you need to know. He makes it interesting by sharing both the facts and his sense of wonder at the amazing workings of the human body.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780756953980
Publisher:	Perfection Learning Corporation
Publication date:	09/01/2005
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

About the Author

Seymour Simon has been called “the dean of the [children’s science book] field” by the New York Times. He has written more than 300 books for young readers and has received the American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru Lifetime Achievement Award for his lasting contribution to children’s science literature, the Science Books & Films Key Award for Excellence in Science Books, the Empire State Award for excellence in literature for young people, and the Educational Paperback Association Jeremiah Ludington Award. He and his wife, Liz, live in Columbia County in Upstate New York. You can visit him online at www.seymoursimon.com, where students can post on the “Seymour Science Blog” and educators can download a free four-page teacher guide to accompany this book, putting it in context with Common Core objectives. Join the growing legion of @seymoursimon fans on Twitter!

Editorial Reviews

Gr 3-5-Simply written but absorbing explanations of the major components and functions of these sensory organs are accompanied by stunning photographs and crisp drawings. For browsers and report writers alike. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Distilling complicated scientific information to primary-grade level is never easy, and Simon (Amazing Aircraft, not reviewed, etc.), widely known for his work on a broad range of topics, makes some unfortunate errors in this account of how we hear and see. He discusses how light passes into the eye, and how light-sensitive cells in the back of the eye trigger nervous impulses to the brain. Some fine pages discuss how the brain interprets what it sees, and how it can be tricked by optical illusions. However, at one point the text description of the anatomy of the eye disagrees with the (correct) labeled drawing beside it. Seymour also states that the optic nerve from each eye crosses over to the opposite side of the brain; this is incorrect. Each optic nerve actually splits, with half of each nerve going to each side of the brain. The section on hearing describes the anatomy and physiology of the ear canal, and notes that ears are important for balance as well as hearing. The quality of the illustrations varies widely--some are fascinating, some confusing, and a few, photographs of the ear clearly taken from cadavers, are nauseating without being particularly informative. Better captions would have helped throughout. The text is clunky in spots. Not bad overall, but not as good as it could be, and there’s a wealth of material recently published on these topics. (Nonfiction. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews

An excellent overview.” — School Library Journal

“As always, Simon’s remarkable ability to write concisely, accurately, and appealingly makes this book readily accessible to young readers.” — Horn Book Magazine

From the Publisher

As always, Simon’s remarkable ability to write concisely, accurately, and appealingly makes this book readily accessible to young readers.

Horn Book Magazine