Books published by publisher Enslow Publishers, Inc.

Benjamin Banneker, born in 1731, was a man ahead of his time. As a free African American in a time of slavery, Banneker was not welcome in white society, and he spent most of his life on his Maryland farm. There he harnessed his keen and curious intellect to teach himself complex mathematics and astronomy. Banneker secured a place in history with his role in surveying the site for the capital city, Washington D.C., and his published almanacs with precise tide calculations and weather predictions. Also, Banneker himself was one of the first African Americans to speak out against slavery. Banneker's accomplishments were used by abolitionists as proof of the intellectual powers of his race.

How can we organize and name all of the different animals and plants in the world? Many had tried before, but Carl Linnaeus came up with a system that we still use today. This Swedish scientist from over 300 years ago is known as the father of classification. Linnaeuss system gave each plant or animal just two names. For example, the scientific term for human beings is Homo sapiens. In Latin, Homo means "man" and sapiens means "wise."

Pan Am Flight 103 blew up over Lockerbie, Scotland. Suitcases recovered from the wreckage were checked for trace evidence. Pieces of various clothing fibers from the suitcase were analyzed by forensic specialists. The fibers were eventually linked to a suspect, who was tried and found guilty of murder. The real-life crime stories in this book are followed by science experiments and project ideas that highlight the forensic technique used to solve the crime. How can you identify clothing fibers found at a crime scene? How is human hair different from dog hair? Can bicycle tire marks be used to solve a crime? Take careful notes in your case notebook; your observations could crack the case!

Chinese myths have been passed down through the oral tradition for thousands of years. In many Chinese tales, there is no clear separation between the mythical and the real, between heaven and earth. These myths weave together figures from conflicting time periods, differing religions and philosophies. Author Irene Dea Collier, a native of China, has collected some of the most important traditional Chinese myths and presents them with an authentic appreciation for their unique characters, landscapes, and philosophies. Each of the stories is enhanced by the expert commentary of scholars and specialists in Chinese literature.

Copernicus worked with primitive scientific instruments to prove that Earth revolved around the sun. The idea of Earth circling the sun is universally accepted today, but this was not always the case. Centuries ago, it was widely believed that the earth stood still and the sun moved. At first, Copernicus was denounced and ridiculed for this belief. Later, scientists with more advanced instruments proved that Earth did indeed revolve around the sun. Many of our modern advances in science would not have been possible without the heliocentric theory of Copernicus.

Before the summer of 2004, few people knew Barack Obama outside of Chicago. But after his speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention, he grabbed America s attention. A former lawyer and community organizer, Obama wanted to make positive changes for Americans and was elected a United States Senator shortly after his famous speech. In this biography, written especially for teens, author Michael Schuman as he takes the reader through Obama s life from his globe-trotting childhood to his run as a presidential candidate.

From the child raised by her grandmother in a small village in Arkansas to the writer known as National Treasure, Angelou has lived a remarkable life. She rose from pain and poverty to achieve success as a dancer, an actress, a teacher and an award-winning author. Readers of Donna Brown Agins's compelling new profile will understand and appreciate why Angelou is one of the best-loved and most fascinating American writers.