The flyers, the shelves, the books — and whimsical pencils and erasers. If there was a best week in elementary school, it was Scholastic Book Fair week. From “Goosebumps” to “The Baby-Sitters Club” to sports posters — there was something for everyone to covet.
Now for the first time, the Hospital School Program at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt will host a Scholastic Book Fair at the Performance Stage.
And as staff catch wind of the upcoming two-day event, they are swapping stories about the glory days of book shopping at school:
“I liiiiiived for this and begged my parents for more money and couldn’t wait! It was a little bitty bookstore inside the library for one whole week.”
“I remember my children coming home from elementary school clutching the colorful tissue paper-thing flyers full of enticing photos of book covers, with their favorites already circled. They would sit and slowly study the flyer and talk about what books would be the most fun to read.”
“It was a fun chance to buy books that jumped off the shelf at me rather than the books we had to read for class. These books were the proverbial dessert to the vegetables of classroom books!”
Since 1981, Scholastic Book Fairs have been a much-loved pop-up tradition around the country. Scholastic partners with schools nationwide to host over 100,000 events annually, providing 30 million students and families with access to thousands of affordable books.
“Scholastic contacted us a few months ago to ask about our interest in hosting a fair,” said Tisha Coggin Clay, MEd, Assistant Manager, Hospital School at Monroe Carell. “We loved the idea, and they have thought of everything in how to make it run smoothly.”
Book offerings in English and Spanish for pre-K through adult will be available. Mark your calendars:
- Wednesday, Sept. 23 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Thursday, Sept. 24 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Among other activities planned in conjunction with the fair is book-themed bingo, set for Thursday, Sept. 24 from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Seacrest Studios. It will be hosted by the Junior League of Nashville, a volunteer organization with a current focus on initiatives to alleviate poverty and impact literacy.
“We hope to make this a regular event to support our program here as well as share the love of books with patients, families and staff,” said Clay.
As a host, the Hospital School Program earns a percentage of every sale, which will be used to purchase supplies and books for the coming school year.
For 45 years, Book Fairs remain one of Scholastic’s strongest and most distinctive businesses expanding beyond the U.S. into Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, the Philippines, and the U.K., selling more than 100 million books to 35 million children annually.
Scholastic, which published its first collection in 1926, is well known for series like “Clifford the Big Red Dog,” “Harry Potter,” “Goosebumps,” “I Spy,” “The Magic School Bus,” and “The Baby-Sitters Club.” It remains the largest publisher and distributor of children’s books in the world.
The dates for the Book Fair were very intentional, said Clay.
“We will close our temporary classroom on Sept. 21 to relocate furniture and supplies to our new space on the 14th floor,” said Clay. “A book fair seemed like a fun way to remind everyone that we have a school program here at the hospital as we spread the word about our new classroom.”
The multiage room is expected to open to students Sept. 30 with school sessions Tuesday-Thursday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. coupled with enrichment activities throughout the week.
