Happy Birthday, Derek Jeter!

New York Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter celebrates his 38th birthday today. For a professional athlete, high level performance is an unrelenting activity. When that athlete plays in a big-time market, the expectations from fans, teammates, and management become even greater. Jeter has successfully navigated those demands and has done so in baseball's most visible platform. What's truly remarkable is that Jeter is enjoying one of his finest seasons at an age when most players' skills, especially those of infielders, are in steep decline.

Jeter's career challenges and fascinating life story provide excellent material for young readers to discover. Enslow Publishers' currently offers two biographies of the New York Yankee star. Read About Derek Jeter, part of Enslow's "I Like Sports Stars" series, is a 24-page book suitable for early readers. Author David Torsiello's Guided Reading Level "I" text dovetails with the work's exciting color photos and reader-friendly type size. The book is available in paperback for $6.95. A library-bound edition is also available for $15.95; that price represents a 25% school/library discount from Enslow's list price for the book.


For older readers, Derek Jeter: Captain On and Off the Field, from Enslow's "Sports Stars with Heart" series, is the way to go. Author Tom Robinson's 128-page work provides a wealth of information on Jeter's professional accomplishments. The book's Guided Reading Level "V" narrative is enhanced with useful pull-outs and excellent color photos. Robinson's title is available in paperback for $9.95; a library-bound edition may also be purchased directly from Enslow for the discounted school/library price of $23.95.


Happy birthday, Derek! 

The United States Constitution

978-0-7660-4067-0

Adopted on September 17, 1787, the Constitution has been the supreme law of the United States. Fifty-five delegates, gathered at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, created this document, which defines the roles and responsibilities of the federal and state governments as well as the rights of United States citizens.

Discussing the three branches of the Constitution and explaining their roles in government, as well as a discussion about the Bill of Rights, helps middle school readers in their understanding of this important document.

Jazz Musicians Included in New African-American Collective Biography Series

Many jazz books for young readers understandably focus on the music's biggest names. However, that approach tends to narrowcast biographies to jazz's A-list. Unfortunately, important, fascinating figures are often lost in the shadows of presenting the life stories and musical contributions of globally-known figures.

To meet this challenge, Enslow Publishers presents its new "African-American Collective Biographies" series. This six-book group provides biographical sketches of prominent leaders as well as those of lesser-known contributors to culturally important endeavors. Incredible African-American Jazz Musicians, one of the books in the series, successfully incorporates that paradigm. Author Stephen Feinstein's well-written work features biographies of seminal figures such as Miles Davis. Readers and librarians will enjoy how the books' lively design leverages color photographs and illustrations to great advantage. As with all titles in the series, Feinstein's work also includes a brief timeline of each artist's life and achievements.

An excellent choice for reluctant readers, this 112-page book is well suited for grades 5 and up. This book, part of Enslow's Fall 2012 new releases, will be available in library-bound editions for $23.95. That cost represents a 25% school/library discount from Enslow's list price.

  

Community Helpers and Common Core Standards

Look what's new for fall 2012! All About Community Helpers series will help to support your unit on community helpers and satisfy Common Core State Standards ELA, Speaking and Listening
Standards #1, #2, #3 for grades K–1.

Books in the series include:

Dentists Help Us
EMT's Help Us
Firefighters Help Us
Nurses Help Us
Police Officers Help Us
Sanitation Workers Help Us
Teachers Help Us
Veterinarians Help Us

Use nonfiction books to teach students about different community helper careers. Have each student choose a career they find interesting. They can use their speaking skills to discuss, in front of the class, what they learned about that career. Invite speakers such as police officers or firefighters into your classroom to speak about their career. Students can practice their listening skills and ask and answer questions during and after the visit. You can also ask students to use their speaking skills to present to the class, in an organized manner,  what they learned from their community helper.

Capture Young Reader Interest in Pro Basketball Finals with Enslow's LeBron James Biography

The NBA Finals, pro basketball's crown jewel series, begins this week. Among the participants is Miami Heat superstar LeBron James. One of the best known athletes in the country, "King James" is certain to draw interest from young readers passionate about basketball. One way for librarians to encourage young fans to read about these sports celebrities is to display age-appropriate biographies of these international stars.

Enslow Publishers' LeBron James: A Basketball Star Who Cares fits this profile. The 48-page, Guided Reading Level "O" title offers insights into James' life and career. Notably, author Kimberly Gatto's age-appropriate text includes a section on the player's philanthropic endeavors. By going outside the basketball arena, Gatto gives young readers a useful, humanizing perspective about star athletes' lives. This enriching dimension to the book makes it a solid addition to a library's sports biography collection, as well as a book parents would feel comfortable giving to their child.

LeBron James: A Basketball Star Who Cares, part of Enslow's six-book "Sports Stars Who Care" series, is available in paperback for $7.95. It is also in a library-bound edition for $17.95. That price reflects a 25% discount available to school and library customers.

National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month

How are you celebrating National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month?

The United States Department of Agriculture has several great resources on how schools can partner with their local farms.

They also offer a 10 Tips Nutrition Education series in a printable format perfect for posting on refrigerators or school bulletin boards along with MyPlate Graphic Resources.

To reinforce healthy eating and good food choices you might consider our All About Good Foods We Eat series for grades PreK–1 to support your lessons on nutrition.

These books are available in both library binding and paperback. Serve them up today!

Once-Per-Century Transit of Venus Occurs Tonight

The transit of Venus, an astronomical phenomenon in which the Sun, Earth, and Venus are parallel with one another, typically occurs once per century. According to a NASA expert, there have been only 53 such transits since 2000 B.C. We are fortunate that this rare alignment will occur in today's early evening's sky. (One warning: do not look directly into the Sun!)

Highly unusual celestial events are a wonderful way to stimulate young readers' natural curiosity about astronomy. One book pertinent to the buzz about Venus can be found in Enslow Publishers' "Far-Out Guide to the Solar System" series. Author Mary Kay Carson's Far-Out Guide to Venus delivers a scientifically strong, age-appropriate text about this second planet from the Sun. The 48-page, Guided Reading Level "N" book includes excellent color photographs, stories of discovery in each chapter, and a profile of a scientist.

The paperback edition of Far-Out Guide to Venus, including a free, brief teacher's guide, is available from Enslow Publishers for $7.95. A library-bound edition is also available to schools and public libraries for $17.95: that represents a 25% discount from Enslow's list price for its library-bound edition!