Showing posts with label nonfiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nonfiction. Show all posts

December 20, 2012

Enslow Provides Hurricane Relief for Libraries


How do you spell relief? B-O-O-K-S. 

When Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast it caused devastation to many homes and businesses. There were school and public libraries that suffered losses as well.  This week we're packing up book donations to send to some of the libraries that need help rebuilding their book collections. We hope to hear that these libraries will be re-opening in the near future with shelves stocked with books. 
In the meantime, many librarians are temporarily sharing space with other districts or public libraries or they have been moved into trailers while repairs are taking place. Some librarians have been provided space to receive donations, while others must wait until repairs to their space are completed. 

If your school or public library needs assistance due to damage caused by the hurricane, please contact us at customerservice@enslow.com with "Hurricane Relief" in the subject line. 

December 11, 2012

Enslow's "Poison Dart Frogs Up Close" In NY State 3rd Grade Common Core Lesson Plans

Engageny.org, a website created and maintained by the New York State Department of Education, released its Common Core-related curriculum for the state's elementary schools. Included in the Grade 3 Language Arts curriculum is the Enslow title Poison Dart Frogs Up Close. Author Carmen Bredeson's 24-page book features exceptional full-color photos of the deadly amphibians as well as a well-written, Guided Reading Level "K" text.

The curriculum, created by Expeditionary Learning, states that Poison Dart Frogs Up Close should be used as a "full text in hand." Click here for detailed information about the Expeditionary Learning lesson plan that includes the Enslow book.

Poison Dart Frogs Up Close is available in paperback or in a library-bound edition directly from Enslow Publishers or via your preferred vendor. Enslow's list price for the paperback is $6.95. The library edition is available from Enslow directly for $15.95; that price represents a 25% school/library discount from Enslow's list price.





December 06, 2012

"The United States at War" Titles Now Available as eBooks!




We are excited to announce that our series "The United States at War" has now been added to our growing list of eBooks. They can be purchased from all of your favorite eBook retailers including:





Library editions of "The United States at War" series are available from Enslow Publishers or your preferred vendor.


This series provides an interesting look at American wars through well-researched text, vivid color and black-and-white photographs, and detailed maps. Young readers will not only learn about the important battles and military leaders, but what life was like on the home front for women and children, and the legacy these wars have today.


To learn more about "The United States at War" series click.here.





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November 28, 2012

"Dealing With Stress: A How-to Guide" An Award-Winning Finalist!

CONGRATULATIONS to our author, Lisa Wroble!
Available with library binding, in  paperback, and as an e-book!

We are pleased to announce that, Dealing with Stress: A How-to Guide is an Award-Winning Finalist in the "Young Adult: Non-Fiction" category of The 2012 USA Best Book Awards, sponsored by USA Book News.

This book is available from Enslow, major book distributors, retail bookstores, and online retailers including Amazon and Barnes and Noble.


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November 15, 2012

Everything Old Is New Again. It's America Recycles Day!

Today is America Recycles Day. The America Recycles Day web site has great resources including finding out what can be recycled, and how to join an event or host an event in your area. You can even take the pledge to recycle more.

Here's what we're doing: Enslow Publishers, Inc., is committed to printing our books on recycled paper. The paper in every book contains 10% to 30% post-consumer waste (PCW)). The cover board on the outside of each of our books contains 100% PCW. Our goal is to do our part to help young people and the environment too! 

We also publish books that will help students understand why recycling and a clean environment is important. 

In our book, 
Recycle: Green Science Projects for a Sustainable Planet, students will learn about recycling and how it can save energy as well as valuable resources that are growing ever more scarce. By doing experiments, students can gain a better understanding of why recycling is important and why it plays a role in creating a greener world. For more information on this book and other books in the Team Green Science Projects series, visit our web site. 




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November 09, 2012

Remember Our Veterans on Sunday

This Sunday, November 11, we celebrate Veterans Day as a way to remember and thank our veterans, the people who have helped to keep our nation free. Thank you!
November 11, 2012


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November 08, 2012

First Snowfall Comes with Relief

While pictures of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy fill our televisions and newspapers daily, we thought we would post this beautiful picture of the snow-filled trees outside our office windows. This is just one way we're offering relief today. 

We are also offering relief to schools and libraries in our area with book donations. If you know a school or public library whose book collection was lost or damaged by Hurricane Sandy, please email us at customerservice@enslow.com with "Hurricane Relief" in the subject line and we will see how we can help them.

Each day, on our Facebook page, we're posting ways everyone can help the victims of Hurricane Sandy. Please share any additional efforts with us in the comments below and we will be glad to add them to our Facebook page

Here are some we've already listed:

Urban Librarians Unite

First Book

Amazon Wish Lists

New Jersey Library Association

American Library Association



October 25, 2012

Check Out Our Author Interview


Today, we're posting an interview with Brian Aberback, author of Black Sabbath: Pioneers of Heavy Metal from our Rebels of Rock series.


Q: Brian, when did you know you wanted to be a writer?
           
A: When I started working for the Record daily newspaper in Hackensack, New Jersey, after graduating college in 1996. I was an English major in college and took a journalism 101 course but always thought I would end up in the publishing industry, perhaps as a copy editor. After becoming an editorial assistant in the Features department at the Record and given the opportunity to write stories on hard rock and heavy metal bands I knew that was what I wanted to do.
 
Q: How did you begin your writing career?
 
A: I began working at the Record as a part-time editorial clerk. The job entailed answering phones, taking messages for reporters and writing obituaries. I then became the editorial assistant in the Features department, where I took on writing assignments in addition to my main responsibility of compiling calendar listings. From there I became a full-time features reporter and then a news reporter. I left the paper in 2007 for a new career in government communications and have continued to write for the paper and other publications as a freelancer ever since.
 
Q: Do you have a background in music?
 
A: I have been a music fanatic since middle school, when I would listen to any hard rock and heavy metal album I could find. My musical tastes have broadened but heavy metal will always be my first love. I played guitar and was in a band in high school. But my brother is the musician of the family. He is a fantastic percussionist.  
 
Q: How did you go about researching and planning for writing the Black Sabbath book?
 
A: My knowledge base of Black Sabbath was pretty extensive prior to writing the book, so I knew what I wanted to include and how to weave the tale. I then read dozens of books and articles on the band and learned some new, surprising information. For example, I had no idea that Ozzy Osbourne had performed in school productions of “The Mikado” and “H.M.S. Pinafore.”
 
A highlight was being able to quote from and use my own prior interviews with the band as references. Prior to writing the book I had separately interviewed Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and singer Ronnie James Dio, who replaced Ozzy. These interviews were for various features in the Record.
 
Q: Where there any particular obstacles you encountered while writing this book?
 
A: The biggest challenge was how to write an age-appropriate book on a band with a notorious past that included significant substance and alcohol abuse.
 
Q: How did you overcome this obstacle?
 
A: By being straightforward without going into too much detail or glamorizing the band’s, and especially Osbourne’s, drug and alcohol problems. I also pointed out the negative effects that this had on the band, how it led to their breakup and also made it easier for corrupt managers and agents to cheat Black Sabbath out of significant earnings.
 
Q: What is your typical day of writing like?
 
A: I typically wake up early to work on freelance writing for an hour or two before heading to work. In my job in government communications I’m writing all day, whether it be press releases, answering reporter inquiries, or working on internal reports. I will sometimes try to do freelance when I get home, but have found it more effective to write early in the morning.
 
Q: If you weren’t a writer, what might you be doing instead?
 
A: I think I would be involved in the music industry, perhaps doing publicity for a record label or a band. Or I might be an editor at a newspaper, magazine or publishing house.



Paperback ISBN: 978-1-59845-212-9
Library Binding ISBN: 978-0-7660-3379-5

Black Sabbath: Pioneers of Heavy Metal can be purchased from Enslow or online retailers, Amazon and Barnes and Noble

To learn more about Brian and his books, you can visit Brian's website. You can follow him on Twitter @bsa172. 

October 22, 2012

National Book Month and the return of our Pick-A-Page Giveaway!!

It's National Book Month. How about taking a visit to one of our national parks? Yosemite is located approximately four hours from San Francisco, and just about all of California's residents live within a one-day's drive of the park.

This park has lots of trails, camping facilities, scenic views, and for the adventurous souls, the ability to climb to the top of Half Dome, one of the huge granite monoliths. Standing next to one of the giant sequoia trees is another experience in and of itself. Enslow's nonfiction title describes the park, detailing the hiking and camping facilities, as well as the different and extraordinary things to see, like Glacier Point and El Capitan.

Now for the Pick-A-Page Giveaway, go to our e-catalog and pick a page of titles you would like to receive for free. Like us on Facebook and leave a comment on Facebook, letting us know which page you would like to receive, and how those books would benefit your school/library. For everyone who enters, they will receive one book from the page they requested. One winner will be chosen at random at the end of the week, and that person will receive a copy of every book on that page. The winner will be announced on Facebook sometime next week!

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October 18, 2012

Are the Yankees Missing Derek?

Even though Derek Jeter from the New York Yankees is sidelined due to a fractured ankle he suffered in the playoffs, we still think he's a champion baseball star!

Scheduled to undergo surgery on Saturday, the Yankee's captain is expected to need several months for a full recovery.

Do you think not having this champion player in the lineup for the remainder of the playoffs has made a difference in the outcome of the games?



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October 17, 2012

3 Interesting Facts About Mars


  • Methane, a gas produced on Earth almost entirely by living organisms, can be found on Mars.  Since no living organisms have been found on Mars, the cause behind the Martian methane is still unknown.
  • NASA's Phoenix lander found that the soil on Mars would be suitable for sustaining plant life.
  • The gigantic, dead volcano on Mars, Olympus Mons, is the largest mountain on any planet in the solar system.  Olympus Mons is about 2 1/2 times as high as Mount Everest, and the area it covers is about the size of New Mexico.
All of the above facts are from Enslow Publishers' Far-Out Guide to Mars from the award winning series, "Far-Out Guide to the Solar System".  If you can't get enough facts about Mars or the Solar System, be sure to look for these books at your favorite online store or ask for them at your local library! Follow Me on Pinterest

October 15, 2012

Their Eyes Were Watching God and Teen Read Week

What books are part of your middle or high school list? For today, I thought I would focus on an author who has written several classics read by many middle and high school students.  I did not read Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. Did you?

Library ISBN: 978-0-7660-3164-7
This is a heated story of love and passion. Written in 1937, this story of Janie Crawford, a resourceful and independent African-American woman, who searches for herself through her relationships with men. The main characters, Janie and Tea Cake, were modeled after Zora and Percival McGuire Punter, a man whom Zora loved. Percival wanted Zora to give up her writing career, but she would not do that, and instead went to the Caribbean, and wrote Their Eyes Were Watching God.

The book on the left is a reader's guide to that particular title. A plot summary and analysis as well as character studies of some of the major and minor characters in the book are included. In addition to all of this, primary and secondary themes are also discussed.

As far as biographies of Zora Neale Hurston, this middle-school biography describes her life as an anthropologist. She studied African-American culture in the South and collected stories and folklore and gave these stories life and made them widely known as a writer.

Posted by Pam




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October 12, 2012

The History of Fire Prevention Week

Each year schools around the country celebrate National Fire Prevention Week. But do you know why it's celebrated during the month of October?

On October 9, 1911, Fire Prevention Day was proclaimed. This day was chosen because it was the fortieth anniversary of the 1871 Great Chicago Fire, which killed hundreds of people and destroyed thousands of buildings. In 1992, Fire Prevention Day was extended to an entire week. Fire Prevention Week is celebrated each year during the week that includes the date of October 9.

From our "Fire Dog Heroes" book

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October 01, 2012

Welcome to Blue Wave Classroom!





One of the main goals in the new CommonCore State Standards (CCSS) initiative is for students to read more informational texts. This means that student reading of nonfiction must increase dramatically. 

The mission of Enslow Publishers, Inc., is to publish high-quality educational nonfiction books for children and young adults. Blue Wave Classroom, extends this mission into school classrooms, in addition to school libraries and public libraries with our curriculum-aligned, leveled, nonfiction and historical fiction books for Pre-K to grade 12. 

Check out Blue Wave Classroom's special offer for new customers. Be sure like the Blue Wave Classroom facebook page for special offers and giveaways.  




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July 20, 2012

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.


October 06, 2010

The History of Fire Prevention Week

Perhaps you've heard the kids talking about firefighters with their fire engines visiting their schools this week. Courtesy of our new Fire Dog Heroes book, here's the history behind this special week...

On October 9, 1911, Fire Prevention Day was proclaimed. This day was chosen because it was the fortieth anniversary of the 1871 Great Chicago Fire, which killed hundreds of people and destroyed thousands of buildings. In 1992, Fire Prevention Day was extended to an entire week. Fire Prevention week is celebrated during the week that includes the date of October 9th.