Publisher Newsletter That's Useful for School and Children's Librarians

WhatsNew@enslow.com or www.enslow.com
The above e-mail address is for the monthly newsletter from Enslow Publishing. I've added their website, too. They specialize in materials for K-12. The newsletter is jammed with good information and they cite review sources for many of their books when they promote them. Below is a sample of the articles published:

Collection Development List Created by Catherine Barr

As the world becomes a smaller place and our population becomes increasingly diverse, reading literature by authors of different ethnic origins is of course one of the best ways to gain insight. These three reader's guides will be particularly helpful for students in grades 9 to 12:

• A Reader's Guide to Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club
• A Reader's Guide to Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
• A Reader's Guide to Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun

Biographies also serve a useful role in stimulating conversations about multicultural topics, and can be used in many areas of study. Among new and forthcoming biographies offered by Enslow are the following series:

• African-American Heroes (for grades 1-3): Muhammad Ali, Mae Jemison, Wynton Marsalis, Colin Powell, Chris Rock, Will Smith, Oprah Winfrey
• African-American Biography Library (for grades 6 and up): Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, Duke Ellington, Zora Neale Hurston, Barack Obama, Paul Robeson, Ida B. Wells-Barnett

Studying history is another excellent way to engage students in discussions of multicultural issues. Coming in early 2008 are titles in the From Many Cultures, One History series. These cover:

• The Underground Railroad
• Native American history
• Puerto Rican history
• School desegregation
• Japanese-American internment during World War II
• Latino civil rights

And, finally, holidays always offer opportunities to learn about important multicultural traditions. Among relevant Enslow series are:

• Best Holiday Books (for grades 3–4), revised and updated editions of eight titles including Diwali—Hindu Festival of Lights and Ramadan and Id al-Fitr
• Celebrate Holidays (for grades 5 and up), five titles including Celebrate Tet and Celebrate Kwanzaa

For details about these books click here or for more information about additional books, please visit http://www.enslow.com/

Sincerely,
Catherine Barr
Author/Co-author: Best Books for Children; Best Books for Middle School and Junior High Readers; Best Books for High School Readers (All available from Libraries Unlimited and http://lu.com/).