Civil Rights series reviewed in School Library Journal

School Library Journal has reviewed five of the six books in The Story of the Civil Rights Movement in Photographs series in its August 2014 issue. Here is an excerpt from that review:

"The black, white, and red design give the book a slick, professional look...these books...provide a nuanced, well-organized perspective on the time period."

Written for the middle school student, these titles explore pivotal moments during the Civil Rights Movement through gripping primary source photographs. Supplemented by text boxes and captions, the events and key people involved are explained.

All of these titles are available in library, paperback, and eBook formats. They can be purchased through your preferred vendor, independent bookstores, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

School Library Journal review of Zoom In On Insects series

A review of the six titles in the Zoom In On Insects series appears in the August 2014 issue of School Library Journal. Here is an excerpt of that review:

"...these close-up images will engage children—particularly Grasshoppers and Dragonflies."

Geared toward the elementary reader, all of the titles in this series are available from your preferred vendor, independent bookstores, enslow.com, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. They are available in library, paperback, and eBook formats.

Another Poem for National Poetry Month

The following poem was taken from Death Poetry, a new title in Enslow's Pure Poetry series. This poem was written by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Each of the four books in this series cover a different poetry theme. A

different poet is covered in each chapter, focuses on one poem, and is accompanied by detailed analysis discussing the style and technique, poetic devices, and the cultural significance. Every chapter ends with questions, and prompts students to discuss and assess the featured poems.

Good-by

Good-by, proud world, I’m going home,

Thou’rt not my friend, and I’m not thine;

Long through thy weary crowds I roam;

A river-ark on the ocean brine,

Long I’ve been tossed like the driven foam,

But now, proud world, I’m going home.

Good-by to Flattery’s fawning face,

To Grandeur, with his wise grimace,

To upstart Wealth’s averted eye,

To supple Office low and high,

To crowded halls, to court, and street,

To frozen hearts, and hasting feet,

To those who go, and those who come,

Good-by, proud world, I’m going home.

I’m going to my own hearth-stone

Bosomed in yon green hills, alone,

A secret nook in a pleasant land,

Whose groves the frolic fairies planned;

Where arches green the livelong day

Echo the blackbird’s roundelay,

And vulgar feet have never trod

A spot that is sacred to thought and God.

Oh, when I am safe in my sylvan home,

I tread on the pride of Greece and Rome;

And when I am stretched beneath the pines

Where the evening star so holy shines,

I laugh at the lore and the pride of man,

At the sophist schools, and the learned clan;

For what are they all in their high conceit,

When man in the bush with God may meet.

This entire series is correlated to the Common Core College and Career Readiness Standards, and can be obtained from your preferred vendor, local bookstores, enslow.com, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. They are available in library, paperback, and eBook formats.

A Poem for National Poetry Month

The following poem was taken from Beauty Poetry, a new title in Enslow's Pure Poetry series, and was written by William Shakespeare. The four books in this series each cover a different poetry theme. Each chapter looks at one poem accompanied by detailed analysis discussing the style and technique, poetic devices, and the cultural significance. Every chapter ends with questions, and prompts students to discuss and assess the featured poems.

Sonnet 18

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate.

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May;

And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance, or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;

Nor shall Death brag thou wand’rest in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

This entire series is correlated to the Common Core College and Career Readiness Standards, and can be obtained from your preferred vendor, local bookstores, enslow.com, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. They are available in library, paperback, and eBook formats.

Three Enslow Books for Women's History Month

Women's History Month offers 31 days of opportunity for young readers to explore this important topic. Enslow Publishers offers excellent, age-appropriate informational texts in which strong, interesting women and historical episodes central to women's history figure prominently. Among the many suitable Enslow titles are these three books:

• Amazing Champion of the Earth Rachel Carson -- A 24-page biography of Carson, whose work forms a keystone for environmental awareness. Her life story, as told by author Mary Dodson Wade, is an inspiring one, embracing American history, ecological scholarship, and women's history. The biography, part of Enslow's "Amazing Americans" series, is available from Enslow in a library-bound edition for $15.95; that price represents a 25% school/library discount from Enslow's list price.

• Women of the Civil War Through Primary Sources -- A new, 48-page title that provides essential, yet accessible material on women's key role during the conflict. Well-chosen illustrations and black-and-white photos dovetail with the essential, accessible text. The book, included in Enslow's "The Civil War Through Primary Sources" series, is available for $17.95; that price is a 25% school/library discount from Enslow's list price.

• Toni Morrison: A Biography of a Nobel Prize-Winning Writer -- Author Barbara Kramer's 104-page work provides an insightful, interesting look at Morrison's life and career. The AR 7.4 reading level and useful backmatter make this new title a possible companion for young readers exploring Morrison's fascinating fiction. Kramer's book, part of the "African-American Icons" series, is available from Enslow Publishers for $19.95; that price represents a 25% school/library discount from Enslow's list price.

These books are also available from your preferred vendor, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.

Crafts for "Tell a Fairy Tale Day"

Today is "Tell a Fairy Tale Day" in the United States, when children are encouraged to imagine, tell, or listen to fairy tales. These often charming stories stay with us for a lifetime, along with memories of their telling.

In addition to the storytelling itself, another way for kids to explore the magical world of fairy tales is through an associated hands-on activity, such as craft making. Enslow Publishers' Fairy Tale Adventure Crafts offers children fun, creative opportunities to make the fanciful figures found in these imaginative stories. The 32-page book's high-interest topics are likely to capture a child's interest. Author Anna Llimos' eye-catching, step-by-step, full color instructions help make the craft making process accessible for young readers. Each craft activity features inexpensive, easy-to-find items.

Fairy Tale Adventure Crafts, part of the "Fun Adventure Crafts" series, is available directly from Enslow Publishers, in a library-bound edition for $16.95; that price represents a 25% discount from Enslow's list price for this title. A paperback version is also available for $6.95. The books are also available from your preferred vendor, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.