Free book giveaway

Library ISBN 978-0-7660-3785-4
Paper ISBN 978-1-59845-375-1

One of our history series, Ye Yucky Middle Ages, was written because librarians told us that they were looking for books that would teach students about life in the middle ages, but yet had some fun illustrations. This series is great for reluctant readers and is available in both library binding and paperback.

What is the most requested topic you get from students? For our free book giveaway, like us on Facebook and leave a comment on Facebook, letting us know what topic is most requested. One winner will be chosen by random at the end of the week, and that person will receive a free copy of an Enslow book of their choice. The winner will be announced on Facebook on Monday!

Ye Yucky Middle Ages Brought to Life with Dazzling Illustrations!



Ye Catle Stinketh
ISBN:  978-0-7660-3786-1



     Enslow's new series Ye Yucky Middle Ages asks the question-Could You Survive Medieval Life?  The four titles in this series breaks the general question down into Don't let the Barber Pull Your Teeth:  Could You Survive Medieval Medicine?, Sweaty Suits of Armor:  Could You Survive Being a Knight?, There's a Rat in My Soup:  Could You Survive Medieval Food?, and Ye Castle Stinketh:  Could You Survive Living in a Castle?  The titles themselves are an example of the fun and lively way that this series brings the time period to life by stressing the gross and yucky aspects of life during the Middle Ages.    
     Each title contains full color illustrations by Gerald Kelley, and the stunning illustrations just add to the amusement of learning about the more offensive living conditions during this period of time.  You can even view how Kelley puts together one of his magical illustrations featured in Ye Castle Stinketh on You Tube.  The books come library bound at $23.93, with 48 pages each.  This series is a great way to engage grades five through nine in learning about this fascinating (and quite disgusting) period in history!

There's a Rat in My Soup!

Library: 978-0-7660-3785-4
Paperback: 978-1-59845-375-1

Can you imagine going to a restaurant, ordering a whole turkey for your family (as an example) and then when the waitress/waiter brings your turkey to you, the cook has stuck the skin, feathers, head, feet, and other parts back onto the turkey to make it look like it's alive! To shock guests, cooks would sew the head of one animal onto the body of another before serving. The head of a rooster would be sewn onto the body of a baby pig!

Animal parts were not wasted. Internal organs, feet, necks, even pig ears and cow udders were eaten! Gelatin was made from boiled calves' feet and then cooked fish were placed in the gelatin to make it look like they were swimming!

Written for reluctant readers, this title, and the three others in the series, Don't Let the Barber Pull Your Teeth, Sweaty Suits of Armor, and Ye Castle Stinketh are available in both library and paperback editions.

Tomorrow is Clean Your Room Day

Do you think you could have lived in a medieval castle? Did you know that moats were sometimes used for dumping raw sewage? Since these moats might contain sewage, it deterred enemy soldiers from trying to swim across them.

Did you know that most candles were made from hardened animal fat? Oil lamps burned liquid animal fat. Only the very wealthy and churches used beeswax candles because of the expense.

Floors were made of dirt, and were never swept. To clean the floors, layers of straw were added to them. It didn't matter if there was food, sewage, feces, or anything else on the dirt floor. It was covered with straw, and that's how the floors were cleaned!

If you've ever wondered what it was like to live in a medieval castle, then you'll want to read Ye Castle Stinketh. Available this fall from Enslow Publishers, and available in both library and paperback versions, this title, and the rest of the titles in the Ye Yucky Middle Ages series, will keep your reluctant reader students interested. These titles also have a huge gross-out factor!

It's Dental Health Month!

I know this is a stretch, but I had to blog about this upcoming Enslow title. I think the entire series is wonderful, but this book is the closest to the subject matter. It's called Don't Let the Barber Pull Your Teeth, and will be available in the fall of 2011.

It discusses how medicine was practiced in the Middle Ages, including how barbers were the ones who performed surgery, pulled teeth, set bones, stitched cuts, etc., because they were the ones who had sharp scissors and knives. Imagine that! Did barbers go to medical school? Of course not!

Another interesting tidbit about barbers: did you know that barber poles were used as advertisements for barbers? They would wrap bloody rags around the pole, or put a bowl of blood in the window. The barbers learned their craft from looking at books that contained diagrams of which veins to cut to heal each part of the body. It was thought that too much blood in one part of the body led to an imbalance. By draining blood from the sick part of the body, balance would be restored.

Great for reluctant readers, this series also includes Sweaty Suits of Armor, There's a Rat in My Soup, and Ye Castle Stinketh. Look for them this fall!