Happy Halloween! (well, almost!)

Last night I was digging through all of my old Halloween costumes that were in my parents' attic-- and I found such a random array of costumes. A ghost, cheerleader, a bride, a lamb (when I was 2), doctor, and my personal favorite- softball player from A League of Their Own!

This year, a friend and I are dressing up as the Blues Brothers. What are you being for Halloween this year? Post your comments, we want to know!

Little kids are my favorite in costumes and they are just learning about Halloween most likely in Preschool. Enslow's newest book, Halloween, for PreK-1 is a great way to get kids to learn about Halloween, but most of all, get them to read!

October is Blind Awareness Month

Did you know: working guide dogs are allowed to enter all public places but puppies-in-training are not?

The next time you see one of these dogs with their special harnesses, you know they are working.

A great tie-in to Blind Awareness Month is Enslow's new Guide Dog Heroes, written by Linda Bozzo. This 48 page book is written for grades 3-4 and is part of the Amazing Working Dogs with American Humane series.

Enslow is planning on publishing two titles on blindness-related subjects in the Fall of 2011. Watch for them!

Look What Enslow's Cooking Up...Literally

An email from one of our editors recently went out to Enslow's staff for volunteers to cook up some of the recipes for our new series, "Easy Cookbooks for Kids." These six new titles that include recipes for breakfast, lunch, main dishes, snacks, desserts, and vegetarian foods will be published in the fall of 2011. With all of the popular cooking shows on television, kids are really going to eat these new titles up! (Sorry, I couldn't resist.) Here's just a few of the dishes that were recently tested in our lab...I mean lunchroom.



Papaya Chicken



Jollof Rice



Kolacziki Cookies

 Of course, I went right for the dessert. My grandmother used to make these delicious cookies. I haven't had them in years so I helped myself to two of them!

This series, for grades 3–4, will present information on cooking, culture, and geography in a fun, kid-friendly format along with fun, hands-on recipes kids can do with minimal adult help.

Naismith's Rules of the Game Set to Be Auctioned

There's an interesting article in The New York Times today that caught my eye about Dr. James Naismith who wrote the first rules of the game of basketball. His original rules are set to be auctioned by Sotheby's. What I learned is that nearly every sport is evolved from something else but basketball is one of the few invented sports.

Enslow's The Man Who Invented Basketball: James Naismith and His Amazing Game from our Genius at Work! Great Inventor Biographies series is a great way to tie-in this famous inventor with current events. This book is 32 pages for grades 3–4 and includes a timeline, words to know, a further reading list and Internet addresses, and an index.

ANSWER to Word Problems...No Problem!

Yesterday we posted this algebra question from our Algebra Word Problems title.

Coach had the entire track team run 4 laps. When they finished, he had the distance runners run some more laps. Each distance runner ran 40 laps in all. Use an algebraic equation to find how many laps the distance runners ran after the rest of the team had finished running?
 

ANSWER:

laps run with the team + more laps run = laps run in all

4 + r = 40

Subtract 4 from each side of the equation to get the variable, r, by itself. Then do the operations.

4 + r = 40
4 - 4 + r = 40 - 4
r = 36

The distance runners ran 36 more laps after the rest of the team had finished running.

Last Chance for Free Halloween Craft

Are you on the lookout for a last-minute Halloween activity for your elementary school students? Have them add a skeleton craft to their repertoire of ghosts and goblins! We're offering a free skeleton craft from Haunted House Adventure Crafts, one of the five titles in Enslow Publsihers' new "Fun Adventure Crafts" series. Call Enslow Publishers now (800.398.2504) to learn how you can download this free Halloween craft.

Haunted House Adventure Crafts is available in paperback for $6.95 per copy. A library-bound edition is also available. Call Enslow Publishers today for more information, including ways to save money when you order books from author Anna Llimos' "Fun Adventure Crafts" series!

Word Problems...No Problem!

You might not realize it all the time because math isn't always written as a math problem, but math is everywhere! Our new series Math Busters Word Problems helps students understand how algebra is used in word problems using topics, they can relate to. Here's an algebra word problem using addition from our Algebra Word Problems title:

Coach had the entire track team run 4 laps. When they finished, he had the distance runners run some more laps. Each distance runner ran 40 laps in all. Use an algebraic equation to find how many laps the distance runners ran after the rest of the team had finished running?

We'll post the answer tomorrow.

VIDEO: Enslow author Randel McGee demonstrates a fun craft!

Just in time for Halloween, Enslow's author Randel McGee demonstrates how to make "Goofy Googles" out of paper, straight from his Paper Crafts for Halloween book by Enslow Publishers. Click here to see the video!

Randel is an expert of paper crafts and has written an entire series for Enslow, Paper Craft Fun for Holidays.

Nicole's Baby Shower

Nicole, our Photo Manager here at Enslow is going on maternity leave starting today. Her Enslow
co-workers threw her a surprise baby shower earlier in the week, complete with decorations, gifts, tasty treats, a baby pool, and of course advice for the soon-to-be new mother. We all wish Nicole the best and we can't wait to meet the new addition to her family.



Nicole doesn't know if it's a boy or a girl so Pam was careful to include
pink and blue icing on her cupcakes.
Kurt's specialty "dirty diaper" Rice Krispie treats are an Enslow tradition.



The Enslow staff couldn't help but give Nicole some parenting advice!





Oooh! Aahhhh!

Lisa carefully thinking about her baby pool choices.

 

Nicole politely smiling but secretly wondering if these people really know anything about babies.

On this day in 1879

Thomas Edison invented a workable electric light at his laboratory in Menlo Park, N.J.

That first workable electric light remained lit for over forty-five hours. Edison and some of his workers took turns staying awake to keep an eye on that light.
 
Interested in learning more about Thomas Edison? Click here.

Today is National Reptile Day

There are more than eight thousand different kinds of reptiles. They can be less than an inch long or they can weigh a ton. When reptiles hatch, they look like miniature adults. Reptiles have dry skin and scales, while amphibians have moist skin and do not have scales.

These facts were pulled from Learning to Care for Reptiles and Amphibians, written by Felicia Lowenstein Niven.

Win a Copy of The Devil's Door! Sponsored by SLJ

October 20, 2010



With Halloween just around the corner, it's time to put the finishing touches on your costume and share scary stories about ghosts, goblins, and witches. In Enslow Publishers' newest historical fiction adventures title, The Devil's Door: A Salem Witchcraft Story, Sarah Wright and her father come to Salem Village to start a new life. But a strange affliction has begun to torment some young girls in the village, and after the doctor fails to find a cause, he's determined that it can only be one thing: witchcraft! The devil has come to Salem. As fear and panic spread, so do the accusations. Readers can follow Sarah on her journey in this terrifying tale that's set in colonial America.


Would you like to win a copy of The Devil's Door? Simply email whatsnew@enslow.com and tell them about your favorite Halloween memory. Better hurry! Only the first five entrants will receive a free book. (Please include your mailing address.) Winners will be notified by email within three days and their responses will be posted on the publisher's blog and Twitter pages. All entrants will be added to Enslow's e-newsletter list.


This article originally appeared in School Library Journal's enewsletter SLJTeen.

Today is National Day on Writing

To draw attention to the remarkable variety of writing Americans engage in and to help make writers from all walks of life aware of their craft, the National Council of Teachers of English has established October 20, as the National Day on Writing.
 
To celebrate NCTE encourages participants to the visit National Gallery of Writing where they can read published work, contribute their own writing, start a local gallery, or search galleries.

NCTE provides a list of wonderful classroom activities, Web sites, and related resouces available here.

Thinking of writing a book or maybe starting your memoirs? Why not start today?

Need a book to help your students with their writing? Check out our Ace Your Creative Writing Project or Ace Your Research Paper or Ace Your Writing Assignment titles.

Happy National Day on Writing!

Happy Birthday Philip Pullman

The works of Philip Pullman, award-winning author of the His Dark Materials trilogy, are enjoyed by readers of all ages. Some of the themes of his work include the conflict of good vs. evil, the end of innocence, and the beginning of wisdom. Perhaps more than anything else, however, his work is known for its depiction of the relationship between religion and science. Such depictions continue to fuel discussion among readers and inspire debate today.

What is a Joey?

Young students reading about animals offer instructors a multitude of teachable moments. Their names, for example, help define the creatures as young or adult.

Did you know that a baby kangaroo is called a "joey"? As with many of us, one's initial instinct might connect "joey" with a human being. Children may find "joey's" attribution amusing or puzzling. However, "joey" will get them to stop and think. At that point, the teachable moment begins.

Teachers and students can read about "joeys" and adult kangaroos in Enslow Publishers' How Do Baby Animals Live? Author Faith Hickman Byrnie's 32-page book, part of the Enslow series "I Like Reading About Animals," includes striking color photography, a child-friendly design, and useful back matter. The book's dual reading passages accommodate two distinct Guided Reading Levels, while maintaining the same overall narrative for both texts. A Teacher's Guide is available for each book in the six-title series.

How Do Baby Animals Live? is available in paperback for $6.95; a library-bound version is also available.

For more information, visit http://www.enslowclassroom.com/

Make Discussing Breast Cancer Easier!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month so when I think of October I think of PINK and my mom!

This October I'm celebrating my mother's one year anniversary as a breast cancer survivor. I'm sure you can think of at least one person who you know that has battled this disease.While I was able to meet with my mother's surgeon, to learn more about the type of breast cancer she had and discuss her treatment options, there are many people who are not so fortunate.

     Enslow's The Breast Cancer Update title is a great way for teenagers to learn about the disease that perhaps someone they know is battling. Complete with a summary of the disease, how cancer develops, different stages of cancer, and diagnostic and treatment methods are presented in a way that even teenagers can understand.

Discussing breast cancer as an adult was difficult, I can only imagine what it would be like for a teenager who probably has little knowledge of the disease and LOTS of questions. Books are a great way to get accurate information into teenage hands and hopefully make discussing topics, like breast cancer, a little easier for everyone.

Happy National Boss Day!

Tomorrow, October 16, is really National Bosses Day, but since it falls on a weekend, people are celebrating today!

Whether your boss is like Michael Scott or Jack Donaghy (I watch too much NBC) take a minute to thank him or her today for all of their hard work!

Here at Enslow, we thank all of our bosses for all their great work!

Check out this site with the most desirable bosses. Who can see yourself working for?

Police Officer and K-9 Presented Book by Author

Enslow author, Linda Bozzo, visited James Monroe Elementary School in Edison, New Jersey yesterday to present Officer Shawn Meade and his K-9 partner, Lucky, a copy of her new book Police Dog Heroes in which the officer and his dog are featured.

After presenting the newly published book to Officer Meade, Linda read from the book. She also talked about how she came in contact with the officer and told the group of children how he helped her with the research for the book.

Police Dog Heroes is one of six books in Enslow's new series, "Amazing Working Dogs with American Humane" for grades 3–4.  Each book in the series features a true story of a real dog and his handler as well as includes the history, breeds used, training, the work they do, and what happens when these dog heroes retire.

Cold versus flu

Want to know the difference between a cold and the flu? Now that cold and flue season is upon us ...

There is a chart in the Investigating Influenza and Bird Flu title that lists 11 different traits and whether that trait is found in a cold, the flu, or both. An interesting fact: "every year, between 4 and 20 percent of the world population catches some form of influenza."

Part of the Investigating Diseases series, there are five other topics in this series:  depression and bipolar disorder, diabetes, eating disorders, STDs, and tuberculosis.

Two Fantastic Videos for Earth Week

The first of the 33 miners trapped for 69 days in a collapsed mine, half a mile underground, have been rescued. If you missed the news footage like I did, thanks to technology you can still watch it or watch it again online. What better way to celebrate Earth Science Week than by watching video of the Chilean Miners Rescue.

Another great video was forwarded me this week that I thought was worth posting is the Father and Son Film Outerspace video. Using a weather balloon, a video camera, and an iPhone, this father-and-son team managed to launch their homemade spacecraft up to nearly 19 miles into the stratosphere and capture amateur, yet impressive footage.