MURRAY AVENUE BOOK FAIR 2009
NOVEMBER 16-19

Contents:
• Important Dates
• Schedule of Events
• Pre-Sale of Autographed Books
• Visiting Author
• Volunteer Schedule
• PARP
• American Folk Traditions Grant at Murray
• Library Donations
• More information

Important Dates:

11/6   Deadline Extended - Pre-Sale Book Orders Due
11/16 Book Fair Begins & Author Visit/Book Signing
11/17 Early Bird Program – Fair Opens at 7:30am w/donuts and bookmark giveaway
11/19 Last day of Book Fair – morning hours only 8am-12pm

Schedule of Events

• Book Fair Open 8am – 4pm 
• TBD Author Visits in Auditorium
• TBD Author signing at the Book Fair
• 3:30-5pm Author Writer’s Workshop in Murray Library (sign up required due to limited space)

TUES 11/17

• Book Fair Open 7:30am-4pm and 6pm-8pm
• NEW early morning fair hours 7:30am-8:40am coffee and donuts will be served. Early bird bookmark gift with purchase.
• Late evening hours 6pm-8pm

WED 11/18

• Book Fair Open 8am – 4pm and 6pm-8pm
• Late evening hours 6pm-8pm

THURS 11/19 LAST DAY!!!

• Book Fair Open 8am – 12pm

Pre-Sale Book Order Forms – A great gift idea!!!!

Orders Extended - Due Nov 6th.
Please place completed forms and check payable to the Murray Avenue PTA in the plastic drawer labeled “Book Fair Pre-Sale Orders” outside the main office.
Extra copies of the order forms are in the plastic return drawer.  All proceeds benefit the Murray Avenue PTA.

Books available for Pre-Sale will be personally signed by author. 

Visiting Author

On Monday 11/16, acclaimed author Brad Herzog will be visiting and working with our students.  Brad has written more than 2 dozen children’s books, including picture books, chapter books, fiction and nonfiction, poetry and prose.  His latest series of books, have sold more than 200,000 copies and are perfect for family reading with rhyming prose for younger readers, great illustrations, and more advanced sidebar text for older readers.  He is also the author of travel narratives for adults.  His best selling, States of Mind and Small World will be available at the book fair.  To learn more about Brad and his books, take a look at his website (which is very entertaining) at www.bradherzog.com.  You can also check out the Murray Ave Library site to learn more, click on Events.

Brad will present several assemblies during which he will discuss how he became a writer, the joys of the writing life, and the process of creating his books – from idea to promotion.  He will also be visiting the Book Fair for an hour to sign books purchased at the fair.

In addition to his assemblies held during the school day, he is holding a writer’s workshop (limited to 30 students) after school on Monday. During the 90 minute workshop, Brad will work with the group to create an alphabet book about our school. Participating students will journey through the 26 letters of the alphabet writing a poem for each letter. The poems will specifically relate to our school. In addition to the written word, there will be opportunities for students to assist in the illustration and publishing of the book. Grades 3-5 only. Deadline to sign up is Friday 10/30. Please return to PTA drawer marked "Writer's Workshop." Applicants selected by lottery to attend will be notified by email and posted on the After School Clubs bulletin board on Wed 11/16.

Volunteer Schedule

Help us raise money and give back to Murray. Volunteers are needed to help students select books, help parents find titles, help teachers fill their class bookshelves, or help us set up and clean up!

If you’d like to volunteer 1-2 hours during the fair, Friday set up, or Thursday clean up please contact Lauren Renner

PARP (Parents As Reading Partners)

This year PARP will take place in November from 11/5-11/25 to coincide with the book fair.  PARP is a school wide initiative to help encourage families to read together.  PARP will have a kick-off assembly on Thursday 11/5 which will feature “Huga Tuga Reading Rocks” an interactive literacy assembly which promises to be a lot of fun. 

Here are ways you can share your love of reading with your child:

• Look for Brad Herzog’s alphabet books in our Murray Library prior to the fair. These non-fiction books are ideal for family reading with beautiful illustrations and simple rhyming text on each page along with detailed information in the sidebars. Introduce your child to this format so they recognize the author when he visits them on 11/16.
• At the fair, purchase books to read with your child. Discuss the book’s content and meaning together. New this year, look for the Family Reading/PARP section where you’ll find books that particularly lend themselves to family reading.
• Also at the fair, look for the Murray student book club picks and American Folk History section. All of the books in these sections of the fair are terrific for participation in the PARP program.
• Encourage your child to start their own student book club. Parents and children choose a book to read together and meet afterwards to discuss the book.

American Folk Traditions Grant at Murray

Have you heard your child singing, “This Land is Your Land”? Has dinner table talk suddenly included names like Woodie Guthrie, Satchel Paige, or Abraham Lincoln? If so, you’re getting a taste of the American Folk Traditions research going on in K-5. Join us for a year long journey at The Murray Avenue Elementary School and find out about our culture! How can we learn more about our history and what makes us special in America?  What are our special legends?  How are our sports, holidays and music different from other countries?  

• Check out our new American Traditions section at the Book Fair including baseball, U.S. presidents, Folk Legends and more.
• Go to the Murray Library Section on this website and click on links to explore websites about our American Culture.
• Sign up for the New Murray Parents Book Club to begin in Spring 2010. Details at the Book Fair.

Library Donation

This year we are accepting cash donations at the fair to help fund our Murray Library purchase. Each $1 donation entitles donor to a raffle ticket entered to win a basket of pre-selected books and Murray Merchandise. The baskets are awarded on the last day of the fair.

This year Pam Tanenbaum has chosen a selection of coffee table books for children (affectionately named "Cocoa Table Books.") These books will be rich in visual form to appeal to our children's natural sense of wonder and are often a doorway to research and interest in other library materials. The books selected will mirror the curriculum in each grade for a full school-wide benefit.

For more information please contact the Book Fair Co-Chairs:

• Dahna Freidus
• Amanda Lodge
• Carrie Tucker
• Danielle Linkas
• Robin Plonsker