Books with author James Simmons

In Eyewitness: Ancient Rome, travel back in time and discover one of history's most remarkable civilizations — from its vast empire and astounding engineering feats to the menu at a Roman dinner party. Explore the inside of the Colosseum and the battles that were fought within. Images and supported text throughout the book showcase the pottery, weapons, and other objects Ancient Romans left behind, the architecture they created, the gods they worshiped, family life, transportation, travel, trade, and more, giving an eyewitness account of this incredible empire. Each book retains the stunning artworks and photography from the groundbreaking original series, but the text has been reduced and reworked to speak more clearly to younger readers. On every colorful page: Vibrant annotated photographs and the integrated text-and-pictures approach that makes Eyewitness a perennial favorite of parents, teachers, and school-age kids.

"Each brief verse has the rhythmic lilt and play with sounds and meaning that so engage young children. . . . But James's illustrations are the best feature of this inviting collection." — The Horn Book (starred review)Days Like This is a book of celebration — whether it's the novelty of sleeping outdoors, the delight of picnicking on the beach, or the sheer joy of bouncing on the bed in the afternoon. These small poems have been carefully selected by acclaimed author-illustrator Simon James, whose expressive line and watercolors portray an everyday world overflowing with wonder and possibility. With words and pictures given space to breathe, this is a collection of poems to read and revel in from beginning to end.

Whales don’t live in ponds—or do they?“Dear Mr. Blueberry, I love whales very much and I think I saw one in my pond today. Please send me some information on whales.” It’s vacation time, so Emily has to write to her teacher to help when she discovers a blue whale living in her pond. Mr. Blueberry answers that she must be mistaken, because whales live in the ocean, not in ponds. Throughout the summer, Emily and Mr. Blueberry exchange letters, until Emily has a happy surprise to share with her teacher. In the process, Emily learns a lot about whales. And Mr. Blueberry learns even more about imagination, faith, and love.

Full-color photos. "An excellent glossy catalogue of entertaining information about a civilization of antiquity. Family life, household effects, cosmetics, sports, children's dress and games--all these and more are on display in eye-filling spreads. Either read chronologically or browsed through, each page offers up a sterling visual feast guaranteed to spur discussion and provoke thinking about the early Romans."--Kirkus.

A sweetly silly story of a little boy and a dog who make an unlikely (but perhaps perfect) pair.Everyone knows that owners and their dogs belong together in a unique way. Polly belongs to Molly, Eric belongs to Derek, Berry belongs to Terry. But poor Mr. Scruff, alone in the rescue shelter, doesn’t belong to anyone. Then a boy named Jim walks in, and they seem to get along. Jim and Mr. Scruff don’t look anything alike, and their names certainly don’t rhyme, but they may end up belonging to each other just the same. From author-illustrator Simon James comes a warm, winning story about friendship and finding a home.

"I love this father-son story about a little dinosaur and fierce T-Rex who discover that they belong together after all." - Seira Wilson, Amazon EditorFrom the inimitable Simon James, a heartwarming story about a surprising dinosaur adoptive dad.Once upon about 65 million years ago, a terrifying tyrannosaurus roams the earth. He spends his days raging through the jungle, scaring every other dinosaur in sight with his fierce roar. Then, one night while he is sleeping, an abandoned egg cracks open and out pops a tiny dinosaur who decides right then and there that this scary tyrannosaurus is his father. And so begins the touching story of a little dino and his search for a dad—a tale sure to resonate with families of all stripes.

Simon James's story about the smartest baby in the world will have little ones howling with laughter and may have big ones smiling wryly with self-recognition.It's never too early to start bringing up the smartest baby in the whole world. So thinks the expectant Mrs. Brains, who reads to the baby inside her tummy every night and plays music and language tapes to her baby during the day. And soon enough, Mr. and Mrs. Brains have their very own Baby Brains! He reads the paper, fixes the family car, and works as a doctor in the local hospital. Now even the space program is calling on him. Is there anything Baby Brains can't do?

When Mom has to go out of town, Stanley decides to blast off to outer space. But who’s this small martian returning in his place who doesn’t follow earthling rules?On the day that Stanley’s mom takes a work trip overnight, Stanley decides to leave planet Earth. But when his spaceship touches down again in the backyard, a young martian crawls out, proclaiming to Stanley’s dad that residents of Mars don’t wash before dinner, eat their vegetables, or brush their teeth. It just so happens that martians tend to act out in school, too. . . . With whimsy and sympathy for a familiar dilemma, Simon James ushers us into the coping fantasies of an imaginative, sensitive kid — and shares the pleasure of his sheepish reunion with a most accepting family.

Daisy's mother warns her to stay close, but there are so many distractions in the pond! After all, there are fireflies to chase and lily pads to jump on. A sudden, scary noise teaches Daisy to heed her mother's words. The author's colorful illustrations will capture children's attention as they enjoy the adventures of this playful duck. Text copyright 2004 Lectorum Publications, Inc.

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. ""Dear Mr. Blueberry, I love whales very much and I think I saw one in my pond today. Please send me some information on whales."" It's vacation time, so Emily has to write to her teacher to help when she discovers a blue whale living in her pond. Mr. Blueberry answers that she must be mistaken, because whales live in the ocean, not in ponds. Throughout the summer, Emily and Mr. Blueberry exchange letters, until Emily has a happy surprise to share with her teacher. In the process, Emily learns a lot about whales. And Mr. Blueberry leans even more about imagination, faith, and love.

Simon James's story about the smartest baby in the world will have little ones howling with laughter and may have big ones smiling wryly with self-recognition.It's never too early to start bringing up the smartest baby in the whole world. So thinks the expectant Mrs. Brains, who reads to the baby inside her tummy every night and plays music and language tapes to her baby during the day. And soon enough, Mr. and Mrs. Brains have their very own Baby Brains! He reads the paper, fixes the family car, and works as a doctor in the local hospital. Now even the space program is calling on him. Is there anything Baby Brains can't do?