Millicent E. Selsam

30 May 1912 – 1996

100 works on record

Biography

Millicent Ellis Selsam was born in New York City on May 30, 1912. She became interested in biology during her high school years, and went on to study biology at Brooklyn College. She was then offered a fellowship teaching at Columbia University while completing an M.A. in botany. After she received her M.A., she taught high school science. In 1946 she left teaching to write science discovery books for children. Her first published book was Egg to Chick (1946), which started a science series of "I Can Read" books for Harper. Over the course of her career she wrote approximately 130 children’s books. Her books received many awards, including the Thomas Alva Edison Award for the best juvenile science book, ''Biography of an Atom'' (1965).

Works

Big Tracks, Little Tracks

1999

Como Crecen Los Gatitos (Mariposa)

1993

Animal Mix Ups

1992

A first look at ducks, geese, and swans

1990

How Puppies Grow

1990

A first look at animals that eat other animals

1989

A first look at animals with horns

1989

Keep looking!

1989

A first look at seals, sea lions, and walruses

1988

A first look at poisonous snakes

1987

Mushrooms

1986

A first look at owls, eagles, and other hunters of the sky

1986

A first look at kangaroos, koalas, and other animals with pouches

1985

A first look at rocks

1984

Tree flowers

1984

Catnip

1983

A first look at spiders

1983

A first look at seashells

1983

Cotton

1982

A first look at dogs

1981

A first look at cats

1981

Where Do They Go

1981

A first look at whales

1980

1st Look at Dinosaurs

1979

A first look at sharks

1979

A first look at monkeys and apes

1979

Night animals

1979

Mimosa, the sensitive plant

1978

A first look at the world of plants

1978

Sea monsters of long ago

1977

The amazing dandelion

1977

Up, down, and around

1977

Land of the giant tortoise

1977

A first look at frogs, toads, and salamanders

1976

Animals of the Sea

1976

A first look at animals without backbones

1976

Popcorn

1976

A first look at flowers

1976

The harlequin moth

1975

A first look at snakes, lizards, and other reptiles

1975

A first look at insects

1974

Bulbs, corms, and such

1974

A first look at birds

1973

Questions and Answers About Horses

1973

The Apple and Other Fruits

1973

Vegetables from Stems and Leaves

1972

A First Look at Leaves

1972

A first look at fish

1972

More Potatoes!

1972

The carrot and other root vegetables

1971

Is this a Baby Dinosaur? And Other Science Picture-Puzzles

1971

Terry and the Caterpillars

1969

Peanut

1969

Maple tree

1968

Bug That Laid the Golden Eggs

1967

Benny's Animals

1966

Animals as parents

1965

The courtship of animals

1964

Greg's Microscope

1963

How animals live together

1963

The language of animals

1962

Plants that Move

1962

See along the shore

1961

Around the world with Darwin

1961

Underwater zoos

1961

How to Grow House Plants

1960

Plenty of Fish

1960

Seeds and more seeds

1959

Birth of an island

1959

See through the lake

1958

Play with seeds

1957

Plants we eat

1955

Microbes at work

1953

Play with leaves and flowers

1952

All about eggs and how they change into animals

1952

Play with vines

1951

All Kinds of Babies

1951

Play with trees

1950

Play with plants

1949

Hidden Animals

1947

Doubleday's First Guide to Wild Flowers

2000

A first look at bats

1991

Strange Creatures That Really Lived

1987

A first look at caterpillars

1987

A first look at bird nests

1984

A first look at horses

1981

Eat the fruit, plant the seed

1980

A first look at animals with backbones

1978

A First Look at Mammals

1976

Milkweed

1967

How animals tell time

1967

Birth of a forest

1964

Plants that heal

1959

See Through the Jungle

1957

Exploring the animal kingdom

1957

See through the forest

1956

Things to Do with Trees

1956

How the animals eat

1955

Things to do with seeds

Things to do with plants