Spring Book Fair Is a Blooming Success

The school grounds could not have looked more beautiful with its flowering trees in full bloom for the YISS Spring Book Fair from Monday, April 3, through Thursday, April 6. On the outside, the cherry blossoms were on full display, and on the inside, the YISS main lobby was filled with a wide selection of books and happy readers. 

Once again, our book fair vendor, TongBang Books, offered a wide selection of books at great prices for readers of all ages. TongBang took great care in ensuring the selection of books varied from the selection in the fall and provided a link enabling participants to view their inventory. Everything from picture books for preschoolers to advanced cookbooks were available for sale. Book vendor staff restocked on a daily basis so that all visitors had a robust selection to peruse. Over 3,800 books were purchased in all.  The bestselling book during this book fair was the newly released, Dog Man Book #11: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea! About 200 books from the Christian book vendor, Word of Life, were also available offering an even wider array of reading materials for our school community.

Many students had an opportunity to visit with their classes during the first two days of the book fair. The latter two days of the book fair were scheduled during our Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences to allow parents and students the chance to shop in between conferences. This free flow of parents and students kept crowds at bay but allowed for a steady stream of book fair patrons. Additionally, it posed an opportunity to welcome parents to this event who may not have previously experienced a book fair at YISS. 

Over 3,600 titles and 10,000+ units were stocked, from picture books to novels for adults as well as stationary, reference books, and graphic novels. Books were discounted 25 percent or more off the retail price, and a portion of sales proceeds will be donated to the YISS PTO to support a variety of reading initiatives, such as prizes for ES Read-A-Thon and author visits. 

We are grateful to our parent volunteers, librarians, media specialists, and teachers for their support in this community-wide event. Efforts to help students find books, giving input to curate a recommended books section, and writing and displaying student book reviews all contributed to the book fair. 

From crowds of classrooms descending upon the Spring Book Fair over the first two days to parents meandering the aisles of books on days three and four, this event was a great success! Many took advantage of the opportunity to stock up on good books for the summer, and we look forward to the Fall Book Fair in November.