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.

Can you name some computer pioneers besides Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Steve Wozniak?

How about An Wang? An Wang built his computer company with just $600 in savings in 1951. By the

1980s, his company had thousands of employees and was worth several billion dollars. Wang computers were essentially word processing terminals. Before inventing the word processor, he created a desktop calculator.

Grace Hopper contributed to the development of Common Business-Oriented Language (COBOL), a computer language. She worked with the Mark I which was a computer used by the Navy to calculate firing distances for weapons. Grace was fascinated with computers, and after retiring from the Navy, worked at Harvard on Mark II and Mark III.

Other computer inventors mentioned in Pioneering American Computer Geniuses include: Herman Hollerith, John von Neumann, John W. Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert, Jr., Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, Marc Hannah, and Marc Andreessen.

There are also five other titles in the Inspiring Collective Biographies series. All six titles are available in both library and paperback editions, and can be found through your local vendor, your local independent bookstore, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

Melissa Stewart Recaps 21st Century Children's Nonfiction Conference

Enslow author, Melissa Stewart recently attended the 21st Century Children's Nonfiction Conference on the campus of the State University of New York in New Paltz. Writers, illustrators, designers, educators, and editors held workshops for those interested in learning more about opportunities in publishing nonfiction for children. 

Melissa spoke as part of the faculty panel discussing "21st Century Publishing: A Time of Transition." We asked Melissa to recap her experience at the conference. Here is what she had to say:

Recently, I had the great privilege and pleasure of being a guest lecturer for an online course taught by renowned children’s book author and editor Marc Aronson for Rutgers University. The class, Nonfiction and Common Core, is intended for students working toward their master’s degree in library information science.

In preparation, I decided to review the rest of the curriculum and I ran across something that blew my mind—a lesson called “Nonfiction Taxonomy.”

What’s that, you ask?

It turns out that Marc and his Uncommon Corps colleagues have developed a brand new, totally amazing system for classifying children’s nonfiction. I was so excited by the system that I asked if I could discuss it at last weekend's conference, and Marc gave me permission.

The classification system consists of seven broad categories:

Data: In more friendly terms, you might call this category Fasts Facts. It includes Eyewitness Books, The Guinness Book of World Records, and my own book Animal Grossapedia. These are the concise, fact-filled books that groups of boys read together and discuss.

Expository: You might call this category Facts Plus. The facts are interwoven into a content-area explanation. This is could be considered “traditional” nonfiction, except that there’s nothing traditional about today’s expository titles. Their engaging text and rich, dynamic art and design are sure to delight as well as inform young readers.

Narrative: This is a category we’ve heard a lot (I mean A LOT) about in the last few years. It’s the current darling of awards committees. Narrative titles present facts in the form of a true story with a narrative arc.

But here’s the thing. As you learn about the next few categories, I think you’ll see that some books have been lumped into the narrative category when there are actually better ways to describe them.

Disciplinary Thinking: These books reveal how scientists and historians go about their work, how they evaluate evidence and form theories. This category might also be called something like Experts at Work. Scientists in the Field books are the perfect example, but if you think about it, it won’t take long to think of single titles that do the same thing.   

Inquiry: This category could also be called Ask & Answer. In these books, the author raises a question or a group of related questions and then seeks the answer. Sally Walker’s Written in Bone is a great example, but these are the kinds of books Peter Lourie has been writing for years. And one of my favorites is What Bluebirds Do by Pamela F. Kirby.

Interpretation: For these books, authors research a topic widely, find their own meaning in the information, and present the content from that point of view. Charles & Emma by Deborah Heiligman is the first title that leaps to mind, but I’d also put books like Those Rebels, Tom and John by Barbara Kerley and Almost Astronauts by Tanya Lee Stone in that category. I think we’ll see more of these books in the future because this type of presentation directly supports Common Core.

Action: This is the trickiest category. It offers a separate spot for titles that invite young readers to take action. The most obvious example is Citizen Scientists by Loree Griffin Burns, but I think it’s the kind of book we’ll see more of in the future.

My presentation was just one small bit of a fantastic 3-day conference that focused exclusively on nonfiction. Woo-hoo. Talented authors, editors, and other publishing industry gurus came together to discuss the future of nonfiction, from craft and Common Core to transmedia and book promotion. Anyone interested in nonfiction—authors, illustrators, editors, educators, designers, digital developers—should mark the next year’s conference dates on their calendars. It will be June 20-22, 2014 on the campus of SUNY New Paltz.

Author Note: Melissa Stewart is the award-winning author of more than 150 science books for children. She has always been fascinated by the natural world and is passionate about sharing its beauty and  wonder with readers of all ages. For information about Melissa and her books you can visit her web site.

The Bald Eagle is an American Symbol

Today is American Eagle Day so we're featuring a book about an American symbol, the bald eagle.This book is for grades 1–2 and includes sight words and simple sentences, perfect for these early readers.

"The bald is a bird. It is not really bald! It has a white head."

Other titles in the All About American Symbols series:

Enslow books are available from Enslow.com, online retailers, bookstores, and your favorite vendors.

Astronaut Sally Ride Included in New Enslow Collective Bio Series

The late Dr. Sally Ride always stood out from the crowd. Her high academic achievements, in scientific fields  where women were not always warmly welcomed, were consistent with her strong character and brilliant mind. She had the "right stuff" to become an astronaut and thrive in that profoundly macho world. In later life, Ride became a university professor and established her own educational enterprise.

Sally Ride's fascinating life story is included in Enslow's new Daredevil American Heroes of Exploration and Flight. Author Anne Schraff's 112-page book offers a collection of well-written, concise biographies of these courageous people. The work, part of Enslow's "Inspiring Collective Biographies" series, is among Enslow's Fall 2013 season's new offerings.

The book is available from Enslow in a library-bound edition for $23.95; that price represents a 25% school/library discount from Enslow's list price.A paperback edition is also available for $9.95.

You may also purchase these books from your preferred vendor, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.

Interested in the Battle of Bunker Hill?

The Battle of Bunker Hill actually took place on Breed's Hill, which was slightly closer to Boston than Bunker Hill. The battle itself became known as the Battle at Bunker Hill, but is also called the Battle at Breed's Hill. The invading British wore thick winter uniforms in the June heat, and had to deal with lots of mud which made walking with their heavy boots difficult. The British won this particular battle, driving the colonial army away. The British did not take the colonial army seriously, thinking that they were not well trained.

The American Revolution started with the Battle at Lexington in April of 1775, was fought at Bunker Hill in June of 1775, and continued until October 1781, with the final battle taking place in Yorktown.

This middle school title, available in both library and paperback editions, is available directly from Enslow, your preferred vendor, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

Today is Flag Day

Here are two great books that introduce our American symbol to young readers:




PreK–Grade 1

Authors Alison and Steven Eldridge explore the symbolism of the American flag in the The American Flag: An American Symbol book. Early readers will discover the colors of the flag, the meaning of the stars, and where the flag is flown.

 

 



Grades K–3

Superheroes are always good citizens . . . or are they? When Molly dons her clever crown and Ben ties on his courageous cape, this duo can accomplish anything. However, even superheroes must sometimes be reminded to show good citizenship. Follow Molly through a daring adventure in becoming a better citizen in Molly the Great Respects the Flag. A Free Educator's Guide is available through our web site.