BOOK FAIR WEEK

A story about young students’ anticipation of a school book fair.

O'Bannon celebrates friendship, generosity, and the joy of reading in this illustrated children’s book. The tale centers around three friends—Alex, Lance, and Lemon. When the book begins, the boys are arriving at school. Inside, they see a colorful poster announcing the school’s book fair. The friends exchange “excited looks, already imagining all the books they’ll discover.” In class, the boys’ teacher, Ms. Jackson, confirms the book fair is coming, and she adds an important announcement: The principal usually chooses one student to help with the book fair, and this time, the chosen student is Alex. He brings home a flyer about the book fair to show his mom and tells her that he’s been saving money to buy something for his little sister. “He pictured his little sister’s delighted face when he handed her the perfect book.” Alex likes mystery novels and adventure books, while Lance primarily reads basketball books. At recess, Alex and Lemon are so absorbed in their reading, they don’t even want to play basketball with Lance. On the day of the book fair, Alex receives a helper badge. He chooses a book titled Caroline Discovers Hobbies for his sister and several others for himself. As he exits the book fair, his grandmother arrives, surprising him with a ride home. O'Bannon promotes reading in this happy-go-lucky book that encourages children to get excited about reading. The author prompts readers to reflect on the story with questions like, “How would you feel if you were selected for an important role like Alex?” Aruman’s bright and bold digital illustrations capture the classroom ambiance. The simple plot, however, lacks conflict, and the characters are cheerful but flat. Readers are repeatedly told about the boys’ excitement, but the trio of friends rarely expresses other feelings. The dialogue, often engaging, comes at the expense of scene-setting and other sensory information about the cast and their environment.

A feel-good children’s book that’s short on storytelling details.