Summer is right around the corner and our students and families will be looking for new books to read. With this, it's the perfect time of year for a book fair.
And with our libraries and schools looking different this year, it is the perfect time for a Follett Book eFair where we can safely bring an amazing book fair experience to our school community and all of the students at school and those learning from home. By hosting an eFair, we are giving our families the opportunity to build their home libraries and put diverse and amazing books into the hands of their children. We know that the more they read, the stronger and more eager readers they will become.
And that is what we did for the last three weeks! We hosted our end of the year Follett Book eFair.
Let me tell you more about how we hosted another very successful online book fair at our school. I hope these tips and information will help you in hosting one too.
As we prepared the eFair kick off, I couldn't wait to tell our students, teachers and families we were having another eFair. This will be our third one this school year and I have to say, we are so excited to have one more at the end of the year as we support our readers with all of the amazing new books they will find at the eFair.
In this new Follett Book eFairs testimonial, our elementary principal, Cody Tibbetts, shared his excitement around our eFairs this year.
On a personal level, I have my own kids in the district, and my wife and I found the Follett Book eFair extremely easy to navigate and an enjoyable experience,” Tibbetts said. “I heard a lot of great comments about the quality and selection of books, how easy it was to pay online, and the cool part of being able to share the link with relatives and friends. Being online, the eFair did not require volunteers or space in the library. Follett Book eFairs have been a big hit for us.
You can read more from Cody
here.
Follett Book eFairs give students a convenient, affordable way to grow their at-home libraries. Students can browse recent releases by popular authors or add an old favorite to their shelves. You can expect to see 80% of the choices available in paperback and low-priced books so that every student can find something.
As the various grade levels flyers show,
the eFairs are packed full of amazing books for various grade levels around different genres such as...
...picture books,
beginning readers,
chapter books,
nonfiction titles,
must-have titles,
graphic novels and so much more.
I love how Follett provides us with
Suggested Book Lists, which they update regularly with a fantastic mix of books including great recommendations for all ages.
They also have Customizable Selection which allows us to make book recommendations for our students and add titles.
This is another aspect of the Follett Book eFairs I am always very excited about as I can tie in books that relate to our curriculum and certain topics of interests specific to our school, classroom curriculum and students. As a teacher librarian, this is a meaningful way to collaborate with my teachers and students as I bring these book recommendations together.
One of the most important things to remember when hosting any kind of book fair is the promotion that you do around this special event. Follett has given us lots of Excitement-Building Resources, as they call the promotion materials they have created to make sure every eFair is a success.
For example, check out this computer monitor sign and...
....this adorable graphic I paired up with the parent letter to create...
...the poster we attached to the...
...flyers and bookmarks we received in our
Follett Book Fairs Marketing Must-Haves box.
I also used this picture to promote our eFair on our library and school social media. This is a great way to get the attention of families and students.
I also include these on the slides we share for library classes in Google Slides and choice boards, our Smore library and school newsletter. and to share on our social media.
In fact, check out the Follett Book eFair choice board that Follett created for all of us to copy and use.
These are so much fun and are a terrific way to engage our students in all of different videos, flyers, book talks and more that go along with the eFair.
The Activity Kit will come in handy and give students a place to color,
find and...
...participate in activities around the camp theme.
I absolutely LOVE these bookmarks which also serve as a way to get the word out.
And guess what?
Online Wish Lists are here!
Students and teacher can now create online wish lists to share with family and friends, near or far. Everyone can participate and help to build both classroom and home libraries.
In the marketing materials, we are provided with the My Book eFair Wish List and...
...Teacher Wish Lists in a few...
...styles to choose from.
The Reading Badges,
Reading Challenges,
Contest Ideas, and...
...Goal Posters are more ways...
to get students involved and excited.
As you can see, Follett Book eFairs offer a variety of literacy and fundraising opportunities that are perfect for every school community, large or small. We are so happy with all of the books our eFairs have provided us with this year at Van Meter. We wouldn't have been able to fill the shelves without them and the support of our families.
And most important, they will bring excitement and happiness, while inspiring our readers through books, and as we get ready for our summer reading adventures.
