Book Fairs have been a long running tradition at numerous schools across the world, constantly supplying children with an ever increasing amount of literature to take home and read with them, inspiring them to dive deeper into the world of reading. Meridian is no different, having its own share of Book Fairs over the years to serve an opportunity for students to understand the power of reading.
#1: The Start of Book Fairs.
The concept of Book Fairs was created back in the 1900’s, starting with the creation of the youth magazine publishing company Scholastic Corporation, which was founded by Maurice R. Robinson back in 1920. Scholastic would eventually acquire the California School Book Fairs Chain sometime between 1981 and 1982, and begin hosting book fairs in schools shortly after the acquisition.
“It was a good idea to start the book fairs, because we can explore so many books that are rare to find at one place. If you go to the library, you can get the book but have to return it, but with book fairs, you can buy the book and keep it for yourself.” said 11th-12th grade SPED teacher Mrs. SB.
According to sciencemeetsfiction.com, book fairs were a lot less well known and much more localized prior to Scholastic’s acquisition of them, with the new corporate backing helping push the events to global levels. With the new global publicity, Book Fairs soon became a global event for schools around the world, allowing many students to gain access to all of their favorite books during select times.
#2: The Purpose of Book Fairs.
When it comes to why Book Fairs are held, the primary reason is stated to be to help young readers flourish in the world of literature, and help them decide what stories they would be the most interested in learning about. Even from Elementary School, students are given the autonomy to choose what kind of story they want to invest in, helping them find reading to be less of a chore and more of an opportunity.
“Book Fairs are helpful especially in some of the younger grades for generating interest in reading. The fairs usually feature high interest stories, and can help readers discover new authors.” said 10th-12th grade English teacher Mrs. Cullen.
According to laurelsprings.com, the power of choice plays an important role in creating hungry readers, and that students who are given that power during book fairs are less likely to have a summer learning slide than students who aren’t given that power. The students who buy from book fairs may develop many healthy reading habits, leading to their reading and social skills drastically improving as a result of their literature-based activities.
#3: Book Fairs in the Modern Day.
Book Fairs have come a long way since their creation and eventual globalization, and the advances in technology we have made since then have only helped to spread their influence around the world. Originally starting off as solely physical, book fair hosts began using digital means alongside the physical to promote the books sold at book fairs, making use of the new technology to its fullest potential.
“I really like them, I like that people still get excited about them, I think they help people find new things to read, and I like that they have items available at different price points.” said 11th-12th grade history teacher Mrs. Trainham.
According to texasbookfestival.org, book fairs like the Texas Book Festival have grown to feature the best books from over 250 authors of the year, and attract over 40,000 avid book lovers to the event. This massive growth in popularity shows just how much book fairs have grown since their initial inception.
Book Fairs have been essential to the literary abilities of many children globally, and the schools that have them are proud to have these happen on their campuses. As long as students are willing to learn, Scholastic will continue to provide an excellent reading experience for everyone who is interested.
So if you see that a book fair is coming to your school, don’t be afraid to spend a few dollars, as you may find your new favorite book among the many diverse selections available.
