Exploration and Recreation: Sports | Series Made Simple Fall 2012
Reading about recreational activities (not to be confused with “recreational reading,” though there can be overlap) is no substitute for actually getting outdoors or onto the field or court. However,...
View ArticleOccupational Success: Careers | Series Made Simple Fall 2012
Students, whether they are just learning about different jobs within a community or older readers exploring a variety of interests, think about the careers they might choose as adults. These books...
View ArticleFor the Fun of It: Mixed Categories | Series Made Simple Fall 2012
Whether intended to fill young readers in on a broad range of scientific or historical topics or simply to inspire delighted disgust, the titles below all feature mixes of bright color photos or...
View ArticleAll the World’s a Stage: World History | Series Made Simple Fall 2012
The emotional and intellectual capacities of humans make for some engaging drama, and what an extraordinary backdrop is ours for playing out our triumphs and tragedies. These series below explore...
View ArticleNonfiction Series and the Common Core State Standards: Back Page | Series...
Many education professionals are grappling with the process of implementing the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). It’s both exciting and daunting. We’ve seen the standards documents and the...
View ArticleMake It, Do It, and Read All About It: Arts and Activities | Series Made...
Crafts, activities, and performance. These are tried-and-true techniques for engaging kids in a topic while encouraging their creative juices to flow. But there’s nothing more frustrating than a...
View ArticleFrom Sea to Shining Sea: American History | Series Made Simple Fall 2012
America can be described in one word: diverse. The nation’s history, though short as far as other national histories go, is complex. From its conception as a refuge for religious dissidents to its...
View ArticleWriting, Words, and Wondering: Language and Literacy | Series Made Simple...
Books about foreign languages, genre writing, research, and grammar make up this eclectic group of literacy and language books. There are some strong collections in the bunch that combine snappy...
View ArticleGreat Gadgets: Machines, Tools, and Technology | Series Made Simple Fall 2012
From kindergartners with truck obsessions to high school students researching the latest inventions, books on technology are always in demand. Some notable topics appear in this fall’s crop of books:...
View ArticleNumbers Everywhere: Mathematics | Series Made Simple Fall 2012
With the implementation of Common Core State Standards (CCSS), the need for informational books has increased; math volumes must satisfy both the language arts informational text standards and the...
View ArticleThe World Inside and Around You: Life Science | Series Made Simple Fall 2012
From understanding how their own bodies function to observing plants, animals, seasonal changes, and weather phenomena, students devote much of their time learning about topics featured in these...
View ArticleCreature Magnetism: Animals | Series Made Simple Fall 2012
There’s no denying that children are drawn to the library’s 590 shelves, making it essential to acquire new material. However, it’s important to choose judiciously from the many series published each...
View ArticleUrban Legends and Ancient Tales: Mythology, Folktales, and the Supernatural |...
The number of new titles featuring the Greek and Roman gods proves that they are just as popular as ever. Whether discussing mythology in terms of the stars, with biographies of the gods, or in a...
View ArticleEndless Discoveries: General Science | Series Made Simple 2012
In 1894, physicist Albert Michelson wrote: “The more important fundamental laws and facts of physical science have all been discovered, and these are now so firmly established that the possibility of...
View ArticlePacks, Pods, and Prides: Animals | Series Made Simple Fall 2012
This season’s animal titles are thoughtfully designed to support Common Core State Standards with good use of nonfiction text features and subject-specific vocabulary. Whether students are requesting...
View ArticleCommon Core and Common Sense: Editorial | Series Made Simple Fall 2012
Series Made Simple Fall 2012Cover and illustration by Daniel Pelavin When I get interested in a topic, I become obsessed. I don’t really have hobbies; I have infatuations. I don’t have favorite movies...
View ArticlePublic and Private Lives: Social Science | Series Made Simple Fall 2012
All of us have a private self with thoughts, ideas, and beliefs that influence our public behavior in many ways–including our religious and political affiliations, the ways we see the world, and our...
View ArticleLarger Than Life: Biography | Series Made Simple Fall 2012
Readers of this season’s biographies can expect to travel through time to meet characters from long ago, investigate various careers by meeting stars of today, and be inspired to invent and create....
View ArticleDoing and Feeling Good: Social Science | Series Made Simple Spring 2013
“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities,” says Albus Dumbledore in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. What the wise wizard (and his...
View ArticleCreatures of the Night: Mythology, the Supernatural, & Folklore | Series Made...
While vampires and Greek myths remain popular, they’ve taken a backseat to some perennial favorites. Ghosts, aliens, and mythical monsters appear more than once in this season’s sets. Fairy tales,...
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