Better Together: The Louisiana Purchase & A Musical Journey in the Footsteps of Lewis & Clark

Since 2008, Elaine Landau's The Louisiana Purchase: Would You Close the Deal? has been one of the most adored social studies titles released by Enslow Publishers.  Landau's book, written for students in grades 3-4, teaches the Louisiana Purchase through a series of segments in which a historical situation is explained and the reader must decide on a course of action.  Primary sources and illustrations are a constant throughout the book.

A Musical Journey in the Footsteps of Lewis & Clark, created by our own president, Mark Enslow, with his wife, Anne Enslow, and a band of talented musicians, is a unique musical history of the Lewis & Clark expedition.  The album contains a mix of narration and performances of historical songs from Lewis & Clark's era.

Making these two resources available to students learning about the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis & Clark expedition is a great way to give them a deeper understanding of the overall time period while providing the materials needed to create great reports.

Check out Enslow.com for these and other great non-fiction titles!

Animal Stories + Math = Enslow Common Core Success

Enslow's "Math Fun with Sebastian Pig and Friends" embraces fun reading with solid math skill development for young readers. Author Jill Anderson's and illustrator Amy Huntington's winsome six-book series features 32-page books that students can use in class, share in read-along sessions, or read at home. Each of these AR 1.8-2.0 illustrated books address a key mathematical operation, such as addition, subtraction, measurement, geometry, or counting. One title focuses on money math. The books make a strong contribution to a library, media center, or classroom's collection, and are appropriate for Common Core supplemental materials needs.

Titles in the "Math Fun with Sebastian Pig and Friends" series are available in library-bound, paperback, and e-book formats. The library-bound book may be purchased directly from Enslow Publishers for $16.95 per title; that price represents a 25% discount from Enslow's list price for each book. Paperbacks are available for $6.95. The multi-user e-book is available directly from Enslow for $21.95; that price represents a 25% discount from Enslow's list price for these items.

Which famous musician would have celebrated a birthday yesterday?

Louis Armstrong! If he were alive today, he would have celebrated his 112th birthday. Not only was he

known for his musical talent on the trumpet, he was also a singer. He earned his nickname, "Satchmo," after his friends noticed how big his smile was. He was initially nicknamed Satchel Mouth, which, over the years, became "Satchmo."

Part of the Famous African Americans series, Louis Armstrong is written for the upper elementary reader, and is matched to the Common Core Standards. Available in both library and paperback versions, this title is available from enslow.com, your preferred vendor, your local independent bookstore, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

For the middle school reader, Louis Armstrong, part of the African-American Biography Library series, is also matched to the Common Core Standards. This 128-page book explains how Louis overcame poverty and adversity to become a well-respected musician and singer. This library-bound title is also available from enslow.com, your preferred vendor, your independent bookstore, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

New science series for fall 2013

Using a microscope to look at tiny images can be fascinating, or disgusting, depending upon the person. Zoom In On... is a series of four books geared to the middle school reader, and perfect for the STEM curriculum.

Want to see what a flea looks like under a microscope? How about a hair, or a grain of pollen? Find out in the Zoom in on Crime Scenes book. These 32 page titles offer the reader who is fascinated with science an interesting way of seeing what items look like under a microscope.

In Zoom in on Body Invaders, salmonella bacteria is shown under a microscope, as is a bed bug, head lice, and a tick, among other items.

Bizarre Bugs zooms in on earwigs, assassin bugs, dragonflies, dung beetles, and more. Just reading about the dung beetle was enough!

House of Horrors includes information about cockroaches, silverfish, termites, wasps, spiders, and more. The illustration of a housefly's face under a microscope and the description of how they eat their food is more than enough!

All of these titles are available from your preferred vendor, your independent bookstore, Enslow.com, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. Both library and paperback versions are available.

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.

Genius Inventors and Their Great Ideas

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Written for the upper elementary market, these seven titles in the Genius Inventors and Their Great Ideas series detail the inventor's journey from idea to final product, giving readers insight into how these inventions were achieved. George Ferris created the ferris wheel for the Chicago World's Fair in 1893.

Other inventors in the series are Philo T. Farnsworth, Stephanie Kwolek, Theodore Maiman, James Naismith, Les Paul, and Vivien Thomas. These 48-page books are great for those interested in inventors and how those ideas came about.

Scarlet Voyage: Advance Review Copies Have Arrived!

Advance Review Copies (ARCs) have arrived for our new YA fiction imprint, Scarlet Voyage! We're mailing the ARCs out to reviewers now, and the final books will be available for sale on 1/1/2014.

We'll be posting more information about all of the Scarlet Voyage books on the Enslow Blog in the coming weeks, so keep checking back for the latest!

Award-Winning Books Featured on Updated Enslow Website

Enslow Publishers' updated website includes a number of useful features designed to help you get the information you want more efficiently and clearly. Our new look includes a portion of the Enslow homepage that's dedicated to our award-winning books. You'll see works by a number of well-known authors, such as Melissa Stewart, the late Elaine Landau, and Jeff Burlingame, among others.

You'll find these award-winning authors' books, and Enslow's Common Core-strong list of information-rich texts, at www.enslow.com! You can purchase these works in library-bound editions, paperback, and e-book, directly from Enslow, from your preferred vendor, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon!

Summertime crafts to do with kids

Earth-Friendly Clay Crafts in 5 Easy Steps is a great title for doing crafts on a rainy day. This 32 page book

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instructs the reader on using everyday household items to create some great works of art! Available in both library and paperback versions, learn how to make a picture frame, a cactus, a stick puppet, and more!

Part of the Earth-Friendly Crafts in 5 Easy Steps series, the other titles cover Christmas crafts, crafts from recycled materials, crafts using nuts and veggies, crafts with papier-mache, and crafts with wood.

All of these titles are available from enslow.com, your preferred vendor, your local independent bookstore, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.

Looking for a drawing series for an elementary student?

Fun and Easy Drawing, a four-title series written for the lower elementary student, uses step-by-step instructions and illustrations to teach and show students how to draw different animals, people, creatures, and objects. Each 36-page book has its own theme.

Learn how to draw sea animals, sailors, submarines, and more in Fun and Easy Drawing at Sea. In Fun and Easy Drawing on the Farm, learning how to draw farm animals, farmers, tractors, and more is fun! Fun and Easy Drawing Fantasy Characters explains how to draw ghosts, robots, mermaids, genies, and other creatures. Demonstrating how to draw clowns, ballerinas, kings, and queens is a great way to learn how to turn shapes into incredible works of art in the Fun and Easy Drawing Storybook Characters title.

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All of these books are available from your preferred vendor, enslow.com, your independent bookstore, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

What Would Ida B. Wells-Barnett Have Done?

Recent legal decisions have brought civil rights history into increasingly sharp relief. Among those whose strong public actions helped create a climate of social and legal change was Ida B. Wells-Barnett.

Her efforts nearly a century ago to champion African-American and women's rights are prominently discussed in Enslow Publishers' new biography of the Mississippi-born Wells-Barnett. Authors Patricia McKissack and the late Fredrick McKissack accurately recap for a new generation of young readers Wells-Barnett's fascinating life and political activism. The 24-page, AR-3.5 Ida B. Wells-Barnett: Fighter for Justice, includes excellent photos and illustrations that add value to the clear, well-written text.

The book, part of Enslow's "Famous African Americans" series, is available in a library-bound edition for $15.95; that price represents a 25% school/library discount from Enslow's list price. The work is also available in paperback and in a multi-user e-book edition.

It's National Picnic Month

The weather is warm, hopefully sunny, time to enjoy having a picnic with family and friends. What about

hiking to your picnic site? Don't feel like hiking? Most, if not all, of these parks have access to the most scenic views via the family car.

America's National Parks, a series of twelve titles geared toward the middle school reader, covers different national parks across the country. From Acadia National Park in Maine, to Everglades National Park in Florida, to Yosemite National Park in California and Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, this series helps in discovering national parks close by and what experiences to expect when you arrive.

Of the national parks featured in this series, the closest one to our office is Acadia National Park. Located on Mount Desert Island, this family vacation site is has hiking trails, wildlife, beaches, and amazing views from the top of Cadillac Mountain. Acadia is located in a part of Maine called Down East, which gets its name from when ships sailing from Boston or Portland to the Bar Harbor area would sail east along the coast. The prevailing winds were usually at their back, helping the ships along. This is known as downwind, and in this case it became known as sailing down east.

What national parks have you visited? What are your memories of these parks?

Does your family live on a farm?

These animals do!

Written for early elementary readers, these 24-page books inform readers about animals that live on the farm. Focusing on one family farm, each book covers one animal and shares how each of these animals are raised on the farm.

Click here to learn how these titles meet the Common Core State Standards

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What is Speeding Star?

Speeding Star is Enslow's new imprint that will debut three new series this fall. We've created books with high-interest topics that we think boys will love. Basically, they are books that will keep boys reading, especially reluctant readers. They will be available in hardcover trade starting September 1, 2013. 

ESPY Awards

The ESPY awards will be given out on Wednesday, July 17. ESPY stands for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award and is sponsored by the cable channel ESPN.  This award recognizes individual and team athletic achievement and other sports-related performance during the calendar year before the annual ceremony.

One of the categories, Best International Athlete, gives voters the choice of five athletes, including Lionel Messi.

This title, part of Enslow's Sports Stars Who Care series, is written for the upper elementary reader. This 48-page book talks about his athleticism on the soccer field, his early years in Argentina, as well as his foundation, the Leo Messi Foundation, which builds parks and schools in poor areas, as well as provides treatment for sick children.

For those elementary soccer fans and players, this book is a great motivator!

All of the titles in this series emphasize charitable work done by particular sports stars. Other titles include Albert Pujols, Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnett, Shaun White, and Tom Brady.

Enslow To Show Fall 2013 Books at Upcoming Library Sales Company Events

We're pleased to announce that we'll be presenting Enslow's 2013 nonfiction books, fiction titles, and new trade imprint at selected library sales company events this month.

Right now, Enslow is participating in the Gumdrop Books annual sales conference outside Kansas City, Missouri. Our man in KC tells us the Gumdrop sales force is excited by the new Fall offerings and Enslow's list of hundreds of Common Core-correlated books.

Enslow is also included among the publishers at the upcoming Children's Plus sales meeting outside Chicago. To round out a busy July, we'll be at Rainbow Books' annual sales event in the Chicago area.

These and other library sales companies plan to continue the positive tone of this year's exciting, crowded ALA Convention. With nonfiction content emerging as increasingly important in children's and young adult public library and school library collections, Enslow is looking forward to providing our library sales partners with the books you need!

Harlem Renaissance Artists and Writers

Part of the Inspiring Collective Biographies series, Harlem Renaissance Artists and Writers, written for the middle school reader, contains short biographies on ten artists and writers.

Available in both library and paperback editions, biographies of Duke Ellington, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Josephine Baker are included, among others. The preface introduces the reader to the Harlem Renaissance, and chapter notes, a further reading list, Internet addresses, and an index round out this title.

Other titles in the Inspiring Collective Biographies series include Amazing American Inventors of the 20th Century, Daredevil American Heroes of Exploration and Flight, Fighting U.S. Generals of World War II, Innovators of American Jazz, and Pioneering American Computer Pioneers.

All of these titles are available from your preferred vendor, Enslow.com, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and your independent bookstore.

Our June 2013 raffle winner

We have contacted our June raffle winner and are waiting to hear back. As soon as we hear from that person, we will let you know.

Please check your email!

STEM Friday

Today, we are the guest blogger over at STEM FRIDAY. Come join us as we talk about sports and how it relates to math!

The Civil Rights Act -- 49 Years Later

It was only a half-century ago that the notion of civil rights extending equally to all American citizens was far from universally accepted in our country. Some laws, especially at the state level, effectively diminished rights and opportunities for minorities and women. In early July, 1964, Congress and President Lyndon B. Johnson began to change that dynamic with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

This legislation, a precursor to the Voting Rights Act, added federal clout to accelerate these social changes. Among those who witnessed the law's presidential signing was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His role in this movement is discussed in Patricia and Fredrick McKissack's Martin Luther King, Jr.: Civil Rights Leader.

This well-written, 24-page book, included in Enslow Publishers' "Famous African Americans" series, is available in library-bound format directly from Enslow for $15.95. That price represents a 25% school/library discount from Enslow's list price. A paperback version is sold for $6.95. A multi-user e-book version is also available.

You can also order these and other Enslow Publishers' titles from your preferred vendor, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.

What is the 4th of July?

Enslow Publishers celebrates our nation's birthday all throughout the year with fun,

easy-to-read books about the symbols, traditions, and crafts that teach children 

about the 4th of July holiday.

Enslow books can be purchased directly from Enslow, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, independent bookstores, and your favorite vendors.

A Big ALA Thank You!

Mark Enslow, President, Enslow Publishers, Inc.
Photo credit: Taemin Park

Enslow Publishers enjoyed meeting all of our fans at ALA in Chicago. Thanks for keeping us busy at our booth. We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting, AASL in Hartford, CT, 

Nov. 14–17, 2013.

Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg

This July 4th weekend is the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. To mark the date there will be a large gathering of thousands of people to reenact the Civil War, as well as tens of thousands of spectators to commemorate the historic battle. Learn about this historic battle, visit the camps, listen and learn about music, as well as learn what daily life was like during this time.

If you can't make it to Gettysburg, Music for Abraham Lincoln: Campaign Songs, Civil War Tunes, Laments for a President as well as When Johnny Comes Marching Home: Music of the Civil War are both available from your preferred vendor, at enslow.com, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.

EngageNY includes Heroes in Greek Mythology Rock! in Grade 6 Unit!

EngageNY.org, a website maintained by the New York State Department of Education, has included Heroes in Greek Mythology Rock! by Karen Bornemann Spies as a recommended text in its Grade 6 Language Arts Common Core-focused curriculum.  The EngageNY unit plan can be found here.

Heroes in Greek Mythology Rock! is available through Enslow Publishers direct or through your preferred vendor.  The Paperback edition is available for $9.95, and Library edition is available for $31.93 list price and direct from Enslow with a 25% school and library discount for $23.95.

Handy Health Guides for Teens

All kids get common colds, rashes, cuts and scrapes, and cavities, and everyone knows someone who has had head lice, pinkeye, chickenpox, or a broken bone. This series explains the science behind common illnesses and injuries and also emphasizes the importance of maintaining personal health. The Handy Health Guides series for grades 5–up is an engaging series about health and the human body. The 12 books in the series cover topics that are relevant and interesting to the middle-school reader.With a fun and conversational tone, these health guides will come in handy!

Coming Fall 2013!

Overcoming Barriers

Today we celebrate Helen Keller's birthday and how she overcame the obstacles in her life. Helen Keller was born both deaf and blind. She traveled to many countries working for world peace and for the rights of deaf and blind people. Helen Keller never learned American Sign Language. Instead, she used fingerspelling by touch taught to her by her teacher, Anne Sullivan. To speak with her, a person fingerspelled into her hand. She could "read" fingerspelling with amazing speed.

Young readers can learn how people today are overcoming barriers with this new series from Enslow!

The Korean War Remembered

On this day in 1950, North Korean military forces launched an invasion of South Korea. The subsequent conflict lasted three years during which over 33,000 American soldiers died. A number of memorials have been created to commemorate the efforts of American and Allied armed forces in the Korean conflict. Among the most notable is the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Books about veterans and Veterans Day offer a way for young readers to learn about and recognize the contributions veterans have made for our country. Enslow Publishers' What Is Veterans Day? provides a thoughtful, quite accessible introduction to this significant topic. Author Elaine Landau's 24-page work deliver a nifty mix of well-written text and skillfully chosen, full-color photographs that tell the story of this important day.

The book, included in the "I Like Holidays!" series, is available directly from Enslow in a library-bound edition for $15.95; that price represents a 25% school/library discount from Enslow's list price for this title. The book is also available in paperback for $6.95. What Is Veterans Day? can also be obtained from your preferred vendor, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.