Happy Thanksgiving!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM ENSLOW PUBLISHERS!

Did You Guess Maya Angelou from Our Word Cloud Clue?

Maya Angelou: A Biography of an Award-Winning Poet and Civil Rights Activist is just one of the six titles from our new series African-American Icons that will be published January 1, 2013, just in time for Black History Month. Although not yet released, this series has already received lots of attention and requests for Advanced Reader Copies from reviewers. Other titles in the series include:

Halle Berry: A Biography of an Oscar-Winning Actress

Oprah Winfrey: A Biography of a Billionaire Talk Show Host

Toni Morrison: A Biography of a Nobel Prize-Winning Writer

Walter Dean Myers: A Biography of an Award-Winning Urban Fiction Author

Will Smith: A Biography of a Rapper Turned Movie Star

Click here to reserve your copies today. Pre-Orders also available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Brodart's November "Children's and Teen Picks" Include New Enslow Title

Brodart's "Children's and Teen Picks" for November 2012 includes one of our Spring 2013 titles. The book -- Choosing a Hamster, Gerbil, Guinea Pig, Rabbit, Ferret, Mouse, or Rat: How to Choose and Care for a Small Mammal (978-0-7660-4082-3) -- is among the titles in Enslow's "The American Humane Association Pet Care Series." Each library-bound, 48-page book in the series is intended for age levels 8-9 and was written by Laura S. Jeffrey.

Brodart's November list features books that, according to Brodart, provide "popular, fun nonfiction topics for kids and teens; it is not curriculum support." For more information and a link to the complete November 2012 "Children's and Teen Picks," click here to go to Brodart's blog "BrodartVibe".

Can You Guess Our New Title for Spring 2013 Release?

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 Opens Today

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 opens in theaters today. Did you know that author, Stephenie Meyer was simply writing for her own entertainment when she expanded what started out as a dream into the full-length story of Bella and Edward? Being an author had never even crossed her mind. Fans can read more about Stephenie Meyer in our biography, Stephenie Meyer: Author of the Twilight Saga from our Authors Teens Love series. Read a review of the book here.

Makes a great gift for Twilight fans!

Available from Enslow Publishers, Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com.

Everything Old Is New Again. It's America Recycles Day!

Today is America Recycles Day. The America Recycles Day web site has great resources including finding out what can be recycled, and how to join an event or host an event in your area. You can even take the pledge to recycle more.

Here's what we're doing: Enslow Publishers, Inc., is committed to printing our books on recycled paper. The paper in every book contains 10% to 30% post-consumer waste (PCW)). The cover board on the outside of each of our books contains 100% PCW. Our goal is to do our part to help young people and the environment too! 

We also publish books that will help students understand why recycling and a clean environment is important. 

In our book, 
Recycle: Green Science Projects for a Sustainable Planet, students will learn about recycling and how it can save energy as well as valuable resources that are growing ever more scarce. By doing experiments, students can gain a better understanding of why recycling is important and why it plays a role in creating a greener world. For more information on this book and other books in the Team Green Science Projects series, visit our web site. 

Young Readers Get Satisfaction from Enslow's Rolling Stones, Madonna Biographies

Who says young readers "can't get no satisfaction" from reading? The release of Grrr! -- the Rolling Stones fresh collection of greatest hits -- has under-18 patrons demanding exciting material about this iconic band. To satisfy that need, you can offer them Enslow Publishers' biography of the Rolling Stones. Author Heather Miller explores the Stones' hardscrabble roots, initial leap to the big time, and development into a globally iconic band. The book's Guided Reading Level "X" text, full-color photographs, and pull-out quotes provide readers with exciting "ways in" to successfully start and finish this 112-page work.

The book would make a perfect companion for those libraries (and fans, let's face it) intending to purchase Grrr!, the Stones' fresh collection of greatest hits. The Rolling Stones, part of Enslow's "Rebels of Rock" series, is available in a library-bound edition directly from Enslow for $23.95; that represents a 25% school/library discount from Enslow's list price. A paperback edition of The Rolling Stones is also available for $9.95 from Enslow, major wholesalers, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

Not to be outdone, Madonna is also conducting a breathless world tour, with tonight's performance in New York's Madison Square Garden among its highlights. Taking music library circulation data as a useful guide, we find the Material Girl remains a subject of curiosity to a new generation of music fans. That's why your young readers would enjoy checking out Enslow's biography of the branded pop star. Author Carol Gjonewski's age-appropriate, 160-page work delivers the essence of Madonna's rise to fame and continued aura. An exciting writing style and vivid photographs add value to fact-based work.

Library-bound editions of Madonna: "Express Yourself," included in our "American Rebels" series, are available directly from Enslow Publishers for $25.95; that price includes a 25% school/library discount.

The Coolest Job in the Universe

Library ISBN: 978-0-7660-4074-8

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work aboard the International Space Station?

Designed to provide living and working space for a crew of up to seven, it was built with parts supplied by or astronauts from 16 different countries. These parts were transported via space shuttles and contains three main sections.

Every shuttle that arrives with fresh supplies also turns into a trash shuttle when it returns to earth. There is no way to throw away food packages, human waste, and solid waste. There are no clothes washing machines or dryers, so all clothes are disposable.

Makes you appreciate the comforts of home, doesn't it?

Remember Our Veterans on Sunday

This Sunday, November 11, we celebrate Veterans Day as a way to remember and thank our veterans, the people who have helped to keep our nation free. Thank you!

November 11, 2012

Blue Wave Classroom Exhibits at NAEYC

Check out our new Blue Wave Classroom booth # 2152 at the NAEYC Conference in Atlanta. Stop by our booth to receive your free tote and see how you can you use informational text from our classroom books to fill your Common Core State Standards needs. Just look for the big red and white apple balloon!

First Snowfall Comes with Relief

While pictures of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy fill our televisions and newspapers daily, we thought we would post this beautiful picture of the snow-filled trees outside our office windows. This is just one way we're offering relief today. 

We are also offering relief to schools and libraries in our area with book donations. If you know a school or public library whose book collection was lost or damaged by Hurricane Sandy, please email us at customerservice@enslow.com with "Hurricane Relief" in the subject line and we will see how we can help them.

Each day, on our Facebook page, we're posting ways everyone can help the victims of Hurricane Sandy. Please share any additional efforts with us in the comments below and we will be glad to add them to our Facebook page. 

Here are some we've already listed:

Urban Librarians Unite

First Book

Amazon Wish Lists

New Jersey Library Association

American Library Association

Monster: KISS Album #20

With the release of their 20th album, Monster, KISS has proven that they're masters of rock, more now than ever:  Despite the band's polished, over-the-top stage act, they recorded Monster on tape.  Unlike most new albums, recorded digitally and processed to perfection, Monster has that edgy, slightly imperfect sound reminiscent of the golden age of rock.

If you're a long time KISS fan and want to share KISS with the new generation, or if you ran into the new album and just discovered KISS, check out KISS: I Want To Rock and Roll All Night by the award-winning children's author, Aileen Weintraub.

This book is also available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Spielberg's New "Lincoln" Movie Opens Door for Reading Opportunities

The new blockbuster movie, Lincoln, opens three days after Election Day. Director Steven Spielberg's film explores the final months of the 16th president's life and actions. The chances are strong that many young patrons and students will attend the film, and want to know more about the events and personalities depicted.

This provides a wonderful opportunity for librarians, teachers, and parents to encourage young viewers to become young readers. Enslow Publishers has a number of age-appropriate titles that focus on Lincoln, slavery, and states' rebellion against the federal government.

200 Years with Abraham Lincoln: One Man's Life and Legacy explores the Great Emancipator's compelling story. Author Helen Koutras Bozonelis's efficiently presented, well-written 64-page book is enhanced with useful illustrations and photographs. The title also include additional source materials and other reference information. The book is available from Enslow in a library-bound edition for $20.95; that price includes a 25% school/library discount from Enslow's list price. It is also available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Meanwhile, young readers curious about Steven Spielberg can consult Enslow's biography of him. Author Laura B. Edge's 128-page book, part of Enslow's "People to Know Today" series, offers a page-turning account of Spielberg's life and professional accomplishments. Steven Spielberg: Director of Blockbuster Films 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 for the title. This book is also available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Pick-A-Page Winner!

Due to hurricane Sandy, our offices were closed for several days last week. Everyone is back in the office, though not everyone has power at home. Between all of the downed trees and power lines, it is taking quite a bit of time to get everyone's power back.

We want to congratulate Dawn Stokes Keenan-Banks for winning our Pick-A-Page contest!

For everyone who participated, please email the book you are interested in receiving and your shipping address to customerservice@enslow.com.

FREE Stuff Friday

We thought we'd post some free stuff this Friday. So, here are three seasonal worksheets available for download from our Blue Wave Classroom website. Kids will enjoy writing their own acrostic poems and they look great displayed on bulletin boards. Just click on any worksheet to take you to page where you can download all three for FREE! If you enjoy these, let us know and we'll provide more in the future.

Check Out Our Author Interview

Today, we're posting an interview with Brian Aberback, author of Black Sabbath: Pioneers of Heavy Metal from our Rebels of Rock series.

Q: Brian, when did you know you wanted to be a writer?

           

A: When I started working for the Record daily newspaper in Hackensack, New Jersey, after graduating college in 1996. I was an English major in college and took a journalism 101 course but always thought I would end up in the publishing industry, perhaps as a copy editor. After becoming an editorial assistant in the Features department at the Record and given the opportunity to write stories on hard rock and heavy metal bands I knew that was what I wanted to do.

 

Q: How did you begin your writing career?

 

A: I began working at the Record as a part-time editorial clerk. The job entailed answering phones, taking messages for reporters and writing obituaries. I then became the editorial assistant in the Features department, where I took on writing assignments in addition to my main responsibility of compiling calendar listings. From there I became a full-time features reporter and then a news reporter. I left the paper in 2007 for a new career in government communications and have continued to write for the paper and other publications as a freelancer ever since.

 

Q: Do you have a background in music?

 

A: I have been a music fanatic since middle school, when I would listen to any hard rock and heavy metal album I could find. My musical tastes have broadened but heavy metal will always be my first love. I played guitar and was in a band in high school. But my brother is the musician of the family. He is a fantastic percussionist.  

 

Q: How did you go about researching and planning for writing the Black Sabbath book?

 

A: My knowledge base of Black Sabbath was pretty extensive prior to writing the book, so I knew what I wanted to include and how to weave the tale. I then read dozens of books and articles on the band and learned some new, surprising information. For example, I had no idea that Ozzy Osbourne had performed in school productions of “The Mikado” and “H.M.S. Pinafore.”

 

A highlight was being able to quote from and use my own prior interviews with the band as references. Prior to writing the book I had separately interviewed Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and singer Ronnie James Dio, who replaced Ozzy. These interviews were for various features in the Record.

 

Q: Where there any particular obstacles you encountered while writing this book?

 

A: The biggest challenge was how to write an age-appropriate book on a band with a notorious past that included significant substance and alcohol abuse.

 

Q: How did you overcome this obstacle?

 

A: By being straightforward without going into too much detail or glamorizing the band’s, and especially Osbourne’s, drug and alcohol problems. I also pointed out the negative effects that this had on the band, how it led to their breakup and also made it easier for corrupt managers and agents to cheat Black Sabbath out of significant earnings.

 

Q: What is your typical day of writing like?

 

A: I typically wake up early to work on freelance writing for an hour or two before heading to work. In my job in government communications I’m writing all day, whether it be press releases, answering reporter inquiries, or working on internal reports. I will sometimes try to do freelance when I get home, but have found it more effective to write early in the morning.

 

Q: If you weren’t a writer, what might you be doing instead?

 

A: I think I would be involved in the music industry, perhaps doing publicity for a record label or a band. Or I might be an editor at a newspaper, magazine or publishing house.

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-59845-212-9
Library Binding ISBN: 978-0-7660-3379-5

Black Sabbath: Pioneers of Heavy Metal can be purchased from Enslow or online retailers, Amazon and Barnes and Noble. 

To learn more about Brian and his books, you can visit Brian's website. You can follow him on Twitter @bsa172. 

Great Elementary Non-Fiction for Thanksgiving (and you can win them!)

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and it's a great time for kids to learn about Thanksgiving while building their literacy skills. Enslow Publishers' non-fiction expert authors believe that reading informational texts should  be educational and fun.  With that in mind, here are three great, Common Core correlated, Thanksgiving books to make sure that young readers have an educational and fun Thanksgiving.  As a side note: if you like any of these books, be sure to check out our Pick-A-Page giveaway (details at the end of the post).

Thanksgivng Day, by Dorothy Goeller, is a delightfully silly reader for children just beginning to read. Featuring bright illustrations and simple text with one sentence per page, Thanksgiving Day is great for kids reading alone or with an adult. Common Core Correlations for Thanksgiving Day can be found here.

Storyteller Randel McGee's Paper Crafts for Thanksgiving shows young readers how to make their own Thanksgiving crafts while learning about the holiday.  Paper Crafts for Thanksgiving contains easy step-by-step instructions as well as reproducible templates for all of the crafts shown in the book.  Common Core Correlations for Paper Crafts for Thanksgiving can be found here.

What is Thanksgiving?, by Elaine Landau, introduces early readers to the traditions of Thanksgiving with beautiful photos and carefully crafted text.  To further engage the reader, What is Thanksgiving? features an activity where the reader constructs a "Thank-You" poster to give their thanks to the community for Thanksgiving. Common Core Correlations for What is Thanksgiving? can be found here.

Our Pick-A-Page Giveaway is still going on!  To enter the giveaway, go to our e-catalog and pick a page of titles you would like to receive for free. Like us on Facebook and leave a comment on Facebook, letting us know which page you would like to receive, and how those books would benefit your school/library. For everyone who enters, they will receive one book from the page they requested. One winner will be chosen at random at the end of the week, and that person will receive a copy of every book on that page. The winner will be announced on Facebook sometime next week!

It's Dark, It's Graphic, It's Classic Fiction, and It's from Enslow

We recently visited a public library which featured a Halloween book collection for young readers. We were delighted to see one of our new graphic novels -- Dark Graphic Tales by Edgar Allan Poe -- included in their display, right next to a Robert Louis Stevenson collection that included the wonderful, YA-appropriate short story The Body Snatcher. The Enslow book stood out, thanks to its cover that's just scary enough for Halloween, but not too scary to keep off a library shelf.

The Poe title, part of Enslow's new "Dark Graphic Novels" series, includes some of the 19th Century writer's finest work, including The Gold Bug and The Fall of the House of Usher. The carefully composed text delivers the sense and style of Poe's original work. The Enslow book's illustrator, trained in a rigorous European art school, has created strong, vivid images that will attract young readers.  These elements will encourage repeat circulation, a circumstance Enslow's sturdy library-bound edition is designed to handle.

The library-bound edition of Dark Graphic Tales by Edgar Allan Poe is available from Enslow for $22.95; that price represents a 25% school/library discount from Enslow's list price for this book. The book is also available at your preferred vendor, Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

Don't forget to join our Pick-A-Page Giveaway, go to our e-catalog and pick a page of titles you would like to receive for free. Like us on Facebook and leave a comment on Facebook, letting us know which page you would like to receive, and how those books would benefit your school/library. For everyone who enters, they will receive one book from the page they requested. One winner will be chosen at random at the end of the week, and that person will receive a copy of every book on that page. The winner will be announced on Facebook sometime next week!

National Book Month and the return of our Pick-A-Page Giveaway!!

It's National Book Month. How about taking a visit to one of our national parks? Yosemite is located approximately four hours from San Francisco, and just about all of California's residents live within a one-day's drive of the park.

This park has lots of trails, camping facilities, scenic views, and for the adventurous souls, the ability to climb to the top of Half Dome, one of the huge granite monoliths. Standing next to one of the giant sequoia trees is another experience in and of itself. Enslow's nonfiction title describes the park, detailing the hiking and camping facilities, as well as the different and extraordinary things to see, like Glacier Point and El Capitan.

Now for the Pick-A-Page Giveaway, go to our e-catalog and pick a page of titles you would like to receive for free. Like us on Facebook and leave a comment on Facebook, letting us know which page you would like to receive, and how those books would benefit your school/library. For everyone who enters, they will receive one book from the page they requested. One winner will be chosen at random at the end of the week, and that person will receive a copy of every book on that page. The winner will be announced on Facebook sometime next week!

Check Out Drawings From Our Friends

Our friends, Ethan and Nolan, made these great drawings from our Drawing in 4 Easy Steps series. The books in this series are now also available in paperback as well as in their original library editions. They make great gifts for those aspiring artists or for kids who just like to draw. The books also provide prompts for kids to write stories based on the pictures they draw. They can be purchased from Enslow.com or from online retailers like Amazon and Barnes and Noble

Draw Aliens and Space Objects

Draw Animals

Draw Cartoon People

Draw Pirates

Draw Princesses

Draw Superheroes