Today would have been the birthday of Alger Hiss

Who was Alger Hiss? Whittaker Chambers, who was an admitted ex-Communist spy, claimed that Alger Hiss was also a Communist spy. Mr. Hiss, who had been an assistant secretary of state in the State Department, denied this.

Author Karen Alonso outlines the twists and turns of this fascinating case that became a symbol of the Cold War. Readers are encourage to form their own opinions.

Interested in learning more? Click here.

Book Giveaway!

I was cleaning off my desk today and I uncovered one our of new titles, Plant and Animal Science Fair Projects, Revised and Expanded Using the Scientific Method by Kenneth G. Rainis from our Biology Science Projects Using the Scientific Method series. All of the books in this series provide exciting science fair project ideas and tips for science fair presentations using easy-to-obtain materials. For Grades 5–up, they are 160 pages and contain a list of suppliers, a further reading list, Internet addresses, and an index. The books in this series cost $25.95 each for schools and libraries, but today I'm giving my copy away for free! Help me clear my desk. Who wants it? Science fair season is just around the corner!

It's A Girl!

Congratulations to Nicole, Enslow's Photo Manager, and her husband on the new adorable addition to their family.  Lillian (Lilly) Jeanette was born November 4th and weighed 5 lbs 14 oz.. We look forward to meeting her in person but until then, this photo will have to do! Congratulations to Pam D for winning the baby pool!

LaDainian Tomlinson Equals Payton Record

National Football League and New York Jet star LaDainian Tomlinson recently reached two career milestones that place him in among the game's greatest players. The running back has now rushed for over 13,000 yards and caught passes for more than 4,000 yards. The only other running back to have matched those thresholds was the late Walter Payton.

In addition to their football accomplishments, Tomlinson and Payton were separately involved with charitable, off-field activities. For both players, their belief in "giving back" was matched by action. Enslow Publishers' biography of LaDainian Tomlinson discusses his philanthropic interests, and places them in the context of his exceptional professional career.

Author Craig Ellenport's LaDainian Tomlinson: All-Pro On and Off the Field discusses Tomlinson's life, the positive influences on his character, and how he combines athletic success with off-field achievements. This high-interest, 128 page title is available in paperback from Enslow Classroom, as well as Enslow's traditional, library-bound edition.

A free, downloadable teacher's guide is available for this Guided Reading Level "W" title.

On this date in 1971

The album "Led Zeppelin IV," which included the song "Stairway to Heaven," was released.

In 2007 the last three remaining members of the band performed in the Ahmet Tribute Concert a tribute concert dedicated to Ahmet Ertegun, the founder of Atlantic Records. Led Zeppelin owed their career to Atlantic Records. This concert was done by lottery, and the money raised went to the Ahmet Ertegun Education Fund, which provides scholarships to needy students in the United States, Great Britain, and Ertegun's home country, Turkey.

Want to learn more and reminisce about Led Zeppelin? Click here.

Celebrate National Young Readers Week! Nov. 8-12

National Young Readers Week is an annual event that was co-founded in 1989 by Pizza Hut® and the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. To make this week special, many schools recruit local “celebrities” to read aloud a favorite children’s book to classrooms. (bookitprogram.com)

The Book It program is a great program to get children to read more. I actually remember doing this when I was in elementary school. Back then, we all got big buttons, and for every book we read, we got a sticker. Once our button had a certain amount of stickers, we got free pizza from Pizza Hut. It was a big hit in my class, and it still is!

Enslow books are a great way to get children to read nonfiction. See www.enslow.com for lists of our titles.

How are you celebrating National Young Readers Week? Let us know!

-Lisa

Today would have been the birthday of Marie Curie

One of the most famous women in the history of science, Marie and her husband, Pierre, conducted important research on radioactivity, which directly led to the couple's discovery of the elements radium and polonium. She was one of the first women in Europe to earn a doctorate degree, as well as the first woman to win the Nobel prize--an award she shared with both her husband and physicist Antoine Henri Becquerel, for her work on radioactive elements in 1903. She became the first person to win a second Nobel prize in a field of science when she was awarded the 1911 prize for her continuing work on isolating radioactive substances.

Interested in learning more about Marie Curie? Click here.

James Naismith would have celebrated a birthday today

Who was James Naismith? He was the inventor of basketball! He was told to invent an indoor game, and had two weeks to create it. He wanted a fun and fast game, not wanting  it to be risky, like football or rugby, and he didn't want it to be rough, so that the participants would get hurt. As a child, he used to play duck on a rock, which was the inspiration for his new creation of basketball. Want to learn more about duck on a rock and James Naismith? Click here.

Who was the first Republican President?

Abraham Lincoln!

On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States as the first Republican to hold that office. He received 180 of 303 possible electoral votes and 40 percent of the popular vote.

Want to learn more about Honest Abe? Enslow has a few titles that can help: 200 Years with Abraham Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln, and Music for Abraham Lincoln CD

On this day in 2008

Barack Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States.

This photo-biography of President Obama celebrates events in his life, as well as offering some light-hearted photos of President Obama playing basketball or body surfing in Hawaii.

There are three other titles in The Obama Family Photo Album series.

National American Indian Heritage Month Proclamation

Can you guess which U.S. President proclaimed November as National American Indian Heritage month? Read the Proclamation here to find out.

The National Register of Historic Places link has a list of American Indian properties featured in teaching and Historic Places Lesson Plans making it very convenient to bring a lesson into the classroom or library during November or any time of the year. Supplement that with our The Fascinating History of American Indians title and you're all set to go!

Interesting tidbit of information

On this day in 1889, North Dakota and South Dakota became the 39th and 40th states.

Interested in learning more about North Dakota or South Dakota? Fun and Simple Midwestern State Crafts contains interesting facts about both states as well as the region. Learn how to create some fun crafts as well!

Vote for Character Education with Enslow's "Molly the Great Respects the Flag"

November is filled with opportunities to proudly celebrate our nation, its character, and the responsibilities that come with freedom. Events such as Election Day, Veterans Day, and Thanksgiving offer ready-made contexts for teaching and learning activities related to these holidays.

For young readers, a wonderful Enslow book that imaginatively addresses these issues is Molly the Great Repsects the Flag: A Book About Being A Good Citizen. Author Shelley Marshall's 24-page title provides a character driven narrative from which larger notions of citizenship emerge. The book’s Guided Reading Level "F" and lovely, watercolor-style illustrations invite readers to enjoy each page and absorb its message about civic responsibility. Molly the Great Respects the Flag also comes with a free, downloadable teacher’s guide, including curricular-based activities and a useful reproducible piece.

The book, included in Enslow’s "Character Education with Super Ben and Molly the Great" series, is available in paperback for $6.95. The title is also available in a library-bound version.

Visit www.enslowclassroom.com for more information and immediate ordering!

Celebrate National Author's Day Today

November 1st is designated as the day to celebrate your favorite author or authors.

Here at Enslow we have some great titles that include personal interviews with popular authors.For young readers in grades 3–4, is our Authors Kids Love series while our Authors Teens Love series is suitable for grades 6–up.

My favorite authors are children's authors. In particular, I love E.B. White because my favorite book happens to be Charlotte's Web. I spent lots of time reading Judy Blume when I was younger and still enjoy reading her books today. If you've ever had the opportunity to hear Richard Peck speak you would have to add him to your favorite list authors. And if you've ever met Jerry Spinelli you couldn't help but add him to your list as well.

Jerry Spinelli with his copy of
Enslow's Jerry Spinelli: Master Teller of Teen Tales biography.

Celebrate National Author's Day by telling us who your favorite author is!

On this day in 2003

LeBron James made his NBA debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

LeBron is included in Basketball's Top 10 Slam Dunkers.

Enslow's Halloween Who's Who!

Several staff members dressed up for Halloween. Can you guess who their characters are?

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.