By Pam Dudding Contributing writer
Students of McCleary Elementary School are excited about the upcoming Scholastic Book Fair returning to the school this year. After a two-and-a-half-year absence due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Scholastic Book Fair will be returning to McCleary Elementary School this Spring. McCleary will host the fair on April 11-14. The funds raised from this event will be used to purchase new books for the McCleary library.
“When we look back on our childhood, many of us have fond memories of being read to, of snuggling up and enjoying a favorite story with the people who love us,” said Karen Jones, a librarian and gifted resource teacher at McCleary. “Study after study shows that early reading with children helps them learn to bond with their parents and read early themselves. Those early readers are more likely to find success later in life.”
Jones also noted that evidence suggests that children who read for enjoyment every day develop a broader vocabulary, increased general knowledge and a better understanding of other cultures.
Jones added, “Connecting kids with stories they love, in whatever format they prefer—from fiction to nonfiction, chapter books to graphic novels, physical books to digital books—has been Scholastic’s mission for nearly 100 years.”
The book fair will offer specially priced books, including popular series like “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” and “Minecraft” books, award-winning titles, new releases, adult bestsellers and other great reads from dozens of publishers.
The fair will also be open on Wednesday April 13 from 4-7 pm so that parents can come and shop with their children. There will be books for all ages, from preschool to adult, picture books, easy-readers, popular series, cookbooks, as well as other fun school supplies like pencils, erasers, highlighters and other small gadgets
Book fair customers may help the school build classroom libraries by purchasing books through the Classroom Wish List program, which students and teachers will have created for their individual classes.
Jones explained that there is an “e-wallet” option available where parents can put money on an online account for their child to spend at the book fair. More information about this can be found on the fair webpage at https://www.scholastic.com/bf/mcclearyelementaryschool.
In addition, the book fair will feature the All for Books program, where students can share the thrill of reading with others by donating loose change to purchase books from the Book Fair for the school library. Scholastic Book Fairs then matches those monetary donations with a donation of up to one million dollars in books from The Scholastic Possible Fund.
“The book fair is one of the most important events in the school calendar. It celebrates and encourages reading, which is vital to every child’s success in school, and in life,” Jones shared. “The fair also gives kids access to good books, which will motivate them to read more.”
She added, “The book fair provides an opportunity for the community to get involved in a universal mission: encourage kids to read every day so they can lead better lives.”
Children’s author Bali Rai has said, “Reading for pleasure is the single biggest factor in success later in life, outside of an education. Study after study has shown that those children who read for pleasure are the ones who are most likely to fulfill their ambitions. If your child reads, they will succeed – it’s that simple.”