Books with author James F. Simon

The award-winning Simon James makes a big splash with this wistful, informative tale of a boy who befriends an endangered blue whale.Wouldn’t it be amazing to have a blue whale for a friend, and go swimming together every night? And how sad would it be if that friendship ended because the whale disappeared? Using a fanciful premise and expressive ink-and-watercolor illustrations, Simon James gently helps children grasp the reality of the blue whale’s endangered plight, while offering many intriguing facts about these magnificent creatures.

Say hello to the world's brainiest baby! Meet the extraordinary Baby Brains. He reads the paper, mends the car and works as a doctor at the hospital. He's so clever that some scientists ask him to go on their next space mission. And that's when Baby Brains shows that in one way at least he's like every other baby in the world: he wants his mummy!;Smarties Book Prize Winner (Silver Medal) Simon James has created a memorable picture book, as bright and engaging as its extraordinary young hero.;The companion title, Baby Brains Superstar, is out now!

"Simple, elemental, yet full of heart, the story, remarkably, captures a character who isn't there and makes readers see him just as Leon does." - BOOKLISTLeon is new in town and doesn't know anyone. That's when he makes friends with Bob. No one else can see Bob, but Leon knows he's there. One day a boy exactly Leon's age moves in next door. Leon would like to meet him, as long as Bob comes along. But suddenly Bob is gone. How alone Leon feels! Is he brave enough to make friends without Bob beside him?

The inimitable Simon James tells the heartening story of a duckling who makes a very useful discovery - and encourages the most tentative of us to take that first step, no matter how small.What do you do when you’re little and lost and your legs feel all wobbly? For one tiny duckling, the trick is doing "One Step," a surprising technique that enables him to walk under the tallest of trees and across the widest of fields. Using simple language and breezy, expressive illustrations, Simon James speaks directly to the heart of a child and shows that every journey, whatever the length, begins with a single step.

Publishers Weekly Review: As fake memoirs go, this one is a hoot, with Solheim (It's Disgusting—and We Ate It!) and James (Baby Brains) adopting the voice of a precocious infant diarist observing his newly discovered world. The narrator is a kinder, gentler version of The Family Guy's Stewie Griffin: “If I'd known I was going to be born in public, I'd at least have put on a tank top,” he writes. Eight months later, he confidently notes, “Finally—I have it figured out. Some things are noses, some are taxicabs, and some are Belgians.” But most important (both for the story and for the battered egos of readers with new brothers or sisters) the narrator has figured out who's the big Kahuna in the house—and it's not Mom or Dad. Describing his kindergarten-age sister as “some kind of monkey-bar superstar or something,” he also scribbles: “Note to myself: Imitate that girl. Just imitate her.” James's reportorial watercolor-and-ink cartoons make terrific visual punctuation; he never overplays the jokes, and he may well convince readers that there actually are deep, incisive thoughts lurking behind their new sibling's pudgy, pacifier-sucking face. Ages 3-5.

This is an enchanting ecological fantasy from a multi-award-winning picture book creator.Worried that the whale living in her pond is unhappy, Emily writes to Greenpeace, who, though offering the best of advice, insist that it is impossible for a whale to live in a pond. Undeterred, Emily continues to seek the best course of action for her beloved whale, finally setting him free.

A gentle and delightful tale charmingly told and illustrated by an award-winning picture-book creator. For her birthday, Clementine Brown is given a nurse's outfit. All she needs now are some patients! When her dad stubs his toe and her mum has a headache, Clementine is on hand - she even bandages the dog! But when there's a real emergency and her little brother Tommy gets stuck up a tree, Nurse Clementine comes into her own.

Kids will giggle and parents will smile (a bit sheepishly) as the world’s smartest tyke invents a robot that does the chores, and then some.Everyone knows that Baby Brains is the smartest baby in the universe. He’s certainly clever enough to see how tired Mom and Dad seem to get keeping house and looking after him. Then Baby Brains has a big idea. He puts his genius to work building RoboMom, who can cook, clean, and do the laundry. The new invention is a smashing success . . . until RoboMom takes on a few too many duties, and the family gets more help than they bargained for!

What do you do when you're little and lost and your legs feel all wobbly? The littlest duckling discovers he can walk under the tallest trees and through the widest fields when he does "one step". By putting one foot in front of the other, Little One Step finds his way home and learns that every journey begins - and ends - with one little step. Through simple language, gentle humour and expressive line-and-wash illustrations Simon James tells an enchanting story that speaks directly to the heart of young children.