Guess the African-American Icon

We've created a word cloud using words that describe an African-American icon that we have just published a new biography about. Can you guess who it is?

Congratulations to our December 2012 raffle winner!

Sorry for the delay in posting this information. We were waiting to hear back from our raffle winner before posting.

Congratulations to Waverly Junior High School in Tennessee! They won $100 in free books!

Ready for another giveaway?

We're as happy as pigs in mud about our new spring books so we're giving away free books from our new Spring 2013 Catalog.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tennessee Celebrates Elvis' Birthday and Peyton's Playoff

Mississippi-born Elvis Presley and Louisiana-born Peyton Manning have one thing in common: they both made their names in Tennessee. We were reminded of this when we looked at the calendar today. January 8th is the late King's birthday; he would have been 78 years old and, well, still the King. Young readers can find out more about Presley's fascinating career in Enslow Publishers' unauthorized biography of the entertainer. Author John Micklos, Jr.'s 160-page work explores Presley's background, his rise through the music business, and his evolution into a movie and Vegas star.

Meanwhile, aristocrats of a different type will perform in the National Football League playoffs this Sunday. Peyton Manning, who graduated from and played for the University of Tennessee football team, will lead the Denver Broncos in their quest for a championship. Peyton, his brother Eli, and their father Archie  have been characterized as football royalty. That family connection is only part of what makes Peyton Manning's life such an uplifting, page-turning story. For readers in Grades 3-4, Enslow's Peyton Manning: Champion Football Star offers an exciting account of the NFL quarterback's life and career. Author Ken Rappoport's 48-page book, part of Enslow's "Sports Star Champions" series, is accompanied by excellent color photos and eye-catching design that will please young readers and especially reluctant readers.

Peyton Manning: Champion Football Star is available directly from Enslow in a library-bound edition for $17.95; that represents a 25% discount from Enslow's list price. It is also available from Barnes and Noble or Amazon or your preferred vendor. Meanwhile, Elvis Presley: "I Want to Entertain People" can be purchased in a library-bound edition for $25.95 from Enslow; that price is a 25% discount from Enslow's list price. It is also available from Barnes and Noble,  Amazon, or your preferred vendor.

New elementary titles for Black History Month!

Looking for titles for your elementary students for Black History Month? Enslow has just published 12 titles in its Famous African Americans series. Written by Patricia and Fredrick McKissack, these easy-to-read biographies cover contemporary nineteenth and twentieth century African Americans.

Looking for a book about a great teacher? How Booker T. Washington, Mary McLeod Bethune, or Carter G. Woodson?

For a book about a fighter against slavery, look at Frederick Douglass, or Ida B. Wells-Barnett, who wrote about the injustices against African Americans.
Louis Armstrong (a jazz musician) and Marian Anderson (an opera singer) are biographies about people in the music industry.
Martin Luther King, Jr., was a civil rights leader.
George Washington Carver studied plants and farming. Read about how he helped make peanuts popular!
Jesse Owens was an Olympian athlete.
Madam C. J. Walker invented hair care products for African-American women.
Paul Robeson was an actor.

Any of these titles would be helpful in teaching children about overcoming life's challenges and making something of oneself.

Did You Know That Louis Braille Could See When He Was Born?

Braille is named after the person who invented it. Louis Braille was born on January 4, 1809 in a town near Paris, France. He could see when he was born but when he was three years old, he had a terrible accident. One day, he went to his father's workshop and poked himself in the eye while playing with one of the very sharp tools. His eye became infected and the infection spread causing Louis to become blind.

When Louis was ten, he was sent to a special school for blind children. They had some books written in large capital letters that were raised so that the students could feel them and put them together to figure out the words. Louis read these books, but he thought he could figure out a better way to make books for blind people.

One day when Louis was twelve, a soldier named Charles Barbier visited the school. He told Louis and the other children about his invention called night writing that used raised dots and dashes to represent words. The soldiers used this system to talk to each other in the dark and without speaking so enemy soldiers could not hear them.

Louis thought he could change night writing to make a code for blind people. At fifteen years old, after many tries, Louis created a dot code. He called his system Braille. In 1829, when Louis was twenty years old, he published the first Braille book.

Today, blind people all over the world use Braille to read. Thanks to Braille, words, numbers, and musical notes are no longer just something people see. They are also things people can feel.

View a sample chapter here of What is Braille? from our Overcoming Barriers series which is available from Enslow, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, or your preferred vendor.

Happy Birthday J.R.R. Tolkien

Born John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, on this day in 1892, he is best known for his original worlds and creatures, many of whom appear in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings stories. Through a thorough exploration of his life and work, Edward Willett brings to life the inner workings of the mind of J.R.R. Tolkien who made fantasy writing what it is today. 

This book includes an "In Your Own Words" section. which draws on several interviews with Tolkien, a timeline, a major works and a selected additional works list, as well as "Words to Know" and a "Further Reading" list. You can preview this book on google books.

J.R.R. Tolkien: Master of Imaginary Worlds from our Authors Teens Love series is available from Enslow, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your preferred vendor.

Meet Annie Biotica!

Look what's new in 2013!

Presented with real-life scenerios of infections, secondary-level readers will experience the scientific method that medical teams and scientists use to decipher symptoms and lab test results in our new Body System Disease Investigations series written by Michelle Faulk, PhD.

Using this mystery diagnosis format, each book contains five chapters, in which each chapter covers a different disease/ailment set up as a "case." 

Helped by the super-sleuth character, "Annie Biotica," this engaging and fun series makes the health and life science content more relevant to the student's own life. 

This series covers life science, body systems, and health in a fun way by formatting each case study in a CSI-like presentation.

Readers will enjoy the graphic-style illustrations and easy-to-read text in these 48-page books. 

This series is available from direct from Enslow as well as from Barnes and Noble, Amazon, or your preferred vendor.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from all of us at Enslow Publishers! Our offices will reopen on Wednesday, January 2, 2013.

Happy Kwanzaa from Enslow Publishers!

WISHING EVERYONE, WHO CELEBRATES, A HAPPY KWANZAA!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Enslow wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Our offices will be closed until January 2, 2013.

Kwanzaa Craft

Kwanzaa is a family holiday that lasts from December 26 to January 1. Dr. Maulana Karenga, a professor, and his friends created Kwanzaa in 1966. They wanted African Americans to have a special holiday to celebrate family and community.

Mkeka Craft 

The mkeka (m-KAY-kah) is the woven mat that decorates the Kwanzaa table. It is usually woven from straw or other natural fibers. Kwanzaa symbols such as the kinara, the seven candles, the unity cup, the ears of corn, and the basket of fruits and vegetables are placed on a mkeka.

What You Will Need

ruler
pencil
scissors
yellow construction paper
light-brown construction paper

What to Do

1. Use a ruler and pencil to draw lines that are 2 inches apart and 18 inches long on yellow construction
    paper. Use a ruler and pencil to draw lines that are 2 inches apart and 18 inches long on the light-brown
    construction paper.

2. Cut along the lines on both sheets of paper.

3. Weave all the strips of light-brown paper and all the strips of yellow paper together.

4. Glue all loose ends. Let dry.

Why Is It Winter? Experiment

We're not counting on the world ending today and neither is NASA. What we can count on is another winter solstice. Why is winter weather cold? What happens to plants in the winter? Where do animals go in the winter? What is hibernation? This book answers these questions and many more. There's even a simple experiment related to winter that will engage young readers and create a fun learning environment.

Experiment
You will need:

• 2 ice cubes
• 2 bowls or cups
• salt
• clock or watch

1. Put one ice cube in each bowl.

2. Pour some salt over one ice cube. Add nothing to the second ice cube.

3. Check the ice cubes every ten minutes. Which ice cube melts fastest? Can you guess why people put salt  

    on the streets and sidewalks in the winter?

Why Is It Winter? is from our Why Do We Have Winter? series for grades 1–2 is available from Enslow, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your preferred vendor.

Available with library binding and in paperback

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. 

Enslow Publishers Will Be Closed for the Holidays

Enslow Publishers will be closed from December 24, 2012 through January 1, 2013.  Enslow Publishers will re-open on January 2, 2013.

Happy Holidays!

Santa Joke of the Day!

What's green and white and red all over? An elf with sunburn!  This joke of the day is from Ho-Ho-Ho Christmas Jokes: To Tickle Your Funny Bone by author Amelia LaRoche. Published by Enslow Publishers, Inc.  http://www.enslow.com/displayitem.asp?type=1&item=4140#.UM-X4-Qmckg

Happy Birthday Carter G. Woodson

Happy Birthday Carter G. Woodson, born December 19, 1875. A great new biography, written by Patricia and Fredrick McKissack is perfect for elementary students. Today, because of the efforts of this one man, Black History Month is celebrated annually and African-American history is a well-respected field of study. Published by  Enslow Publishers, Inc .http://www.enslow.com/displayitem.asp?type=1&item=4133#.UM-er-Qmckg

Happy Anniversary New Jersey! Ratification Day

Happy Anniversary New Jersey, 3rd state to ratify the Constitution, Dec 18, 1787.  Try some fun crafts about New Jersey in Fun and Simple Mid-Atlantic State Crafts, created by author June Ponte, published by Enslow Publishers, Inc. http://www.enslow.com/displayitem.asp?type=1&item=2331#.UM-dJeQmckg

Happy Birthday Steven Spielberg December 18th

Happy Birthday to Steven Spielberg, born on December 18th. Read a great biography of the director, written by author Laura B. Edge, published by Enslow Publishers, Inc.

Santa Joke (of the day)

What do you get if Santa goes down a chimney when a fire is lit? A Crisp Kringle!  This joke of the day is from Ho-Ho-Ho Christmas Jokes: To Tickle Your Funny Bone by author Amelia LaRoche.   http://www.enslow.com/displayitem.asp?type=1&item=4140#.UM-X4-Qmckg