Today would have been Rachel Carson's birthday

For grades 1–3, author Mary Dodson Wade explores Rachel Carson's life in this biography for beginning readers. Learn how Carson wrote about the environment after her experiences working as a marine biologist. Her books still influence environmentalists today.

Bold. Pioneering. These adjectives describe Rachel Carson who is one of the most important figures of the twentieth-century environmental movement. The author of the book Silent Spring, Carson exposed the environmental harm done by pesticides and helped lead to restrictions on their use. This biography, for grades 6 and up, covers the life and work of Rachel Carson who has been called the mother of the environmental movement.

International Jazz Day

Tomorrow is International Jazz Day. Tomorrow's International Jazz Day Global Concert will be in Osaka, Japan.

Since most of us aren't able to be in Osaka, how about a collective biography on jazz musicians? This middle grade biography discusses the lives of eight jazz musicians.

Available in library, paperback, and eBook formats, this book is available from your preferred vendor, local bookstores, and enslow.com.

Upcoming Book Festivals

There are several book festivals taking place this upcoming weekend, May 17 and 18.

The Gaithersburg Book Festival will take place on the grounds of City Hall on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will be author events, panel discussions, and workshops. All genres of books are included.

The Teen Book Festival is also on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Nazareth College in Rochester, N.Y. This event is free and open to everyone, however seating preferences will be given to teen readers at all sessions.

The South Carolina Book Festival takes place at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center in Columbia, S.C. on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday's hours are 12 Noon to 4:30 p.m. There will also be free events on Thursday and Friday nights. Panel discussions and author events (including author signings) will also take place.

These festivals are sure to be fun for everyone!

Congratulations to our April raffle winner!

Causey Middle School library in Alabama is the April winner of our raffle!

Children's Book Week

This year Children's Book Week is from May 12th to the 18th, and is celebrating its 95th anniversary. This is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country, and is celebrated at events nationwide. These events take place in schools, libraries, bookstores, and any other places children gather to read and connect.

The website offers a list of national and local events to attend.

Happy Limerick Day

What is a limerick? A limerick is a poem with five lines. Lines 1, 2, and 5 have seven to ten syllables and rhyme with one another. Lines 3 and 4 have five to seven syllables and also rhyme.

The following limerick is from Enslow's April Fool's Day Jokes to Tickle Your Funny Bone:

When logging onto the Internet
It's almost always a very safe bet
That the fake "news" you'll find
Will be old and behind—
Or it won't quite have happened yet.

This title, and the others in the Funnier Bone Jokes series, are available from your preferred vendor, local bookstore, enslow.com, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. They are available in library, paperback, and eBook format.

Review of The Story of the Civil Rights Movement in Photographs series

The May 1, 2014 issue of Booklist features a review of four of the titles in The Story of the Civil Rights Movement in Photographs series.

The titles reviewed are:
The Story of the Birmingham Civil Rights Movement in Photographs
The Story of the Civil Rights Freedom Rides in Photographs
The Story of the Little Rock Nine and School Desegregation in Photographs
The Story of the Selma Voting Rights Marches in Photographs

An excerpt from the review:
"...[David] Aretha’s clearly written, succinct texts introduce significant individuals, follow major actions chronologically, place events within their social context, and comment on their long-term significance. Quotes from participants are used to good effect...Well-focused, useful books for students researching the civil rights movement in mid-twentieth-century America."


All of these 48-page books, written for the middle school reader, are available from your preferred vendor, local bookstores, enslow.com, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. They are available in library, paperback, and eBook format.

Book Festival May 10

If you are in the area, the Ohioana Book Festival will take place on Saturday at the Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center in Columbus, Ohio, from 10 am to 4:30 pm. There will be children's activities, lots of panel discussions, and award-winning food trucks.