Upcoming Book Sale

Teachers, parents and staff from schools servicing low income neighborhoods are invited to a bargain book sale at the Book Bank on April 26, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. New books will be made available for 75% off of the publisher price, with additional discounts for volume purchases. Contact the Book Bank for more information and registrations details

Recent Book Drives

On February 2, the Fresno Falcons hosted a “Read at the Rink” event during which approximately 1,500 books were collected. Fans who donated books were entered into drawings for prizes provided by Hometown Values. The event was also sponsored by the Fresno Bar Association who also collected books during the month of January.

Approximately 40,000 books were collected through book drives during the fall of 2007. Participating schools, businesses, and organizations were:

• Liddell Elementary
• Fremont School (Fowler)
• Weldon Elementary
• Garden Elementary (Tulare)
• Kastner Intermediate

• Cedarwood Elementary
• Freedom Elementary
• Copper Hills Elementary
• Garden Elementary (Tulare)
• Kastner Intermediate
• River Bluff Elementary
• The Pumpkin Patch

Statement of Deposits and Withdrawals (Sept 1, 2007 – May 1, 2008)

Books Deposited – 48,278
Books Withdrawn – 53,400

Recent Distributions

The following schools have withdrawn books in recent months:

• Valley Arts and Science Academy
• KIPP Academy
• Biola-Pershing Elementary
• Addams Elementary
• Yokomi Elementary

• Wilson Elementary
• Mid Valley Alternative Charter
• Pyle Elementary
• Olmos Elementary

• Even Start
• Mother’s Voice
• Foster Parent Training
• Fresno Barrios Unidos
• Read Fresno
• Early Head Start

• Downtown Rotary for Jefferson Elementary
• Fresno Unified CFEN Family Leadership Conference
• Madera County Child Abuse Prevention Council (MCCAPC)
• Focus Forward (Juvenile Justice Campus)
• VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) Program

Some Tips on Where to Find Free or Low Cost Children’s Books

• Teacherwide – A division of Scholastic – Look for bargain bundles.
• Book Closeouts – Search under children’s books. Check out those for less than $1.00
• First Book – First Book is a nonprofit organization with a single mission: to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. You can buy books through the First Book Market Place or apply for free distributions from the National Book Bank (cost is $.25 each for shipping).
• Literacy Empowerment Foundation - Dedicated to assisting educational programs by providing inexpensive children's books. LEF has several programs available to teachers, non-profit groups and reading programs. LEF has already distributed books to over 40,000 schools nationwide.
• Reading Rockets – This article on the Reading Rockets site is a guide to finding free or low cost books.
• Wilbooks - Wilbooks has six programs which offer free books for your school.
• Dollar Days - Buy books by the case for lower prices per book.
• Rock Bottom Deals - Type “children’s books” in the search box. Books for as little at $.25.
• Ebay – This is an outstanding source of both new and slightly used books. Many of the books are from Scholastic and other well known publishers. Simply set a maximum you are willing to pay per book and bid. Most accept Paypal.
• Scholastic Warehouse Sales – The local Scholastic warehouse has sales in December and May where most of the books are 50% off. Some are 2 or 4 for $1.00. The warehouse is located at 4603 N. Brawley. Call 888-468-1232 for information about upcoming sales.