Happy Birthday Walter Dean Myers!

Biographies for middle school readers are a popular topic for reports. Enslow's new biography series geared toward those readers includes a book about Walter Dean Myers. What started as a way to be able to read

aloud to classmates despite having a speech impediment, turned into a career. Writing has earned him numerous prizes and awards. He first started writing poetry, which was published in literary magazines in 1961. His first book, a picture book, was published in 1969.

Other people featured in this series include Oprah Winfrey, Toni Morrison, Will Smith, Halle Berry, and Maya Angelou. Titles in the African-American Icons series are over one hundred pages each and are available in both library and paperback bindings. These titles are also available as multi-user eBooks.

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

Age-appropriate joke books for upper elementary school readers

Geared toward the language arts curriculum and part of Enslow's spring 2013 list, Funnier Bone Jokes is a series of 48 page titles, with each title corresponding to a different holiday. All six titles in this series are available in library and paperback editions, as well as a multi-user eBook and as a library/eBook combo.

Each title defines the words joke, limerick, and tongue twister, and includes fun facts geared toward that particular title's subject. Readers also get helpful hints for designing their own cards. Other holidays featured in this series are April Fool's Day, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, Christmas, and Halloween. This series continues in the same fun way that Enslow's Funny Bone Jokes were written. That series was published in 2011.

These titles are available through your preferred vendor, your local independent bookstore, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

Using Nonfiction with Common Core Standards

Looking for ways to use nonfiction in your classroom that can be tied with the Common Core Standards? Here's an idea on how to use our series Amazing Working Dogs with American Humane series for ELA - W.K.3 which reads as follows:

Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred and provide a reaction to what happened.

The first chapter of each book in this series includes a true story about a dog and his or her handler. The author tells the story of an event in the order  in which it happened. Teachers can read the story aloud to the students pointing out key phrases like, "The next day..." and "before bed."


In Fire Dog Heroes, the author includes the handler's reaction to the dog's first accelerant find by praising the dog. "Good girl, Ashly. Very good girl!"

After using the story as an example, teachers can then have students choose an event in their lives that they wish to draw and write about. Ideas might include their trip to the beach or bringing home a new pet. They can create something as simple as filling in boxes drawn on a large piece of paper, similar to a comic strip format or something more elaborate like making a book from folded pieces of paper. 


One thing for sure is kids never seem to lack stories to tell, especially about themselves. They will probably enjoy sharing their illustrated stories with their classmates as well.

Ace Your Internet Research

So you have to do online research? No Problem! The tough part is finding the right information and understanding if the information is correct. What is the proper way to give credit or ask for permission for the material you want to use? Step by step, author Ann Graham Gaines will show you how to surf you way to an 'A'.

The latest title in the Ace It! Information Literacy Series by Enslow Publishers, Inc. Full color photographs, 48 pages, ISBN 978-0-7660-3392-4. For more information, please visit:
http://www.enslow.com/displayitem.asp?type=1&item=2646