New Releases by Syl Sobel

Newly updated edition! Discover everything you need to know about American democracy with this easy-to-read guide to our government! How the U.S. Government Works is a fact-packed primer that helps kids understand the many facets of America's federal system. Readers will learn about how the government came to be, the responsibilities of the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches, and how our democracy impacts their own lives today!

Newly updated edition! Discover everything you need to know about the law of the land in this fact-packed introduction to the United States Constitution! The U.S. Constitution and You is an easy-to-read guide to the most important document in American history. Readers will learn all about the history of the Framers and how the Constitution came to be, as well as important concepts like the three branches of government, checks and balances, amendments, and so much more!

The Eastern Professional Basketball League (1946-78) was fast and physical, often played in tiny, smoke-filled gyms across the northeast and featuring the best players who just couldn’t make the NBA—many because of unofficial quotas on Black players, some because of scandals, and others because they weren’t quite good enough in the years when the NBA had less than 100 players. In Boxed out of the NBA: Remembering the Eastern Professional Basketball League, Syl Sobel and Jay Rosenstein tell the fascinating story of a league that was a pro basketball institution for over 30 years, showcasing top players from around the country. During the early years of professional basketball, the Eastern League was the next-best professional league in the world after the NBA. It was home to big-name players such as Sherman White, Jack Molinas, and Bill Spivey, who were implicated in college gambling scandals in the 1950s and were barred from the NBA, and top Black players such as Hal “King” Lear, Julius McCoy, and Wally Choice, who could not make the NBA into the early 1960s due to unwritten team quotas on African-American players. Featuring interviews with some 40 former Eastern League coaches, referees, fans, and players—including Syracuse University coach Jim Boeheim, former Temple University coach John Chaney, former Detroit Pistons player and coach Ray Scott, former NBA coach and ESPN analyst Hubie Brown, and former NBA player and coach Bob Weiss—this book provides an intimate, first-hand account of small-town professional basketball at its best.

With this year's Democratic and Republican primaries being hotly contested, the 2016 presidential race is gearing up to be the most pivotal election this country has had in generations. Kids, parents, and teachers will certainly be discussing the election through November. So now is the perfect time to introduce Presidential Elections and Other Cool Facts to young readers. Children will be fascinated by the history they'll find in this book, including riveting facts about everything from George Washington's election in 1789 to Barack Obama's victories in 2008 and 2012. Questions asked and topics explored include: Who can run for president? Who can vote? What is the Electoral College? What is a third-party candidate? Which Republican president had a Democrat for his vice president? Who was the only U.S. president to be elected for more than two terms? Which candidates have won the popular vote but lost the election? Why was President Truman happy in 1948, when he read the Chicago Tribune headline that declared: "Dewey Defeats Truman"? This book brings history and social studies classes to life as boys and girls learn about important people, places, and events in the history of presidential elections.

Discover everything you need to know about your constitutional rights and freedoms in this easy-to-read guide to the Bill of Rights! Kids will learn all about the history of the first ten amendments and how the Bill of Rights affects Americans' lives today! Perfect for curious kids, classrooms, and homeschool curriculum, this book features: Simple, kid-friendly language Clear explanations of what each amendment means Illustrations that help bring the text to life Additional resources like a glossary, index, and more! You've probably heard before that the United States is a "free country." But what does that actually mean? Dive into The Bill of Rights and discover how the first ten amendments to the Constitution came to be, what they mean and why they're important, and how they still protect our rights today, more than 200 years after they were written!

Describes the events that lead up to the American colonies declaring independence from Great Britain, and discusses the contents, writing, and signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Who wrote the Pledge of Allegiance? Why was it written? What does it mean?Our Pledge of Allegiance tells the story behind the familiar words that schoolchildren learn and many recite every day. Written in clear and child-friendly lanlguage for readers in grades 3 - 6, the book also features children's illustrations that protray the Pledge from a child's prespective.Syl Sobel is a former newspaper reporter and director of communications for a government agency. His daughters make their debut as illustrators with this book.Other books by Syl Sobel: 'How the U.S. Government Works The U.S. Constitution and You Presidential Elections and Other Cool Facts