Sometimes, you just need to chill with a good book. One day, when school librarian Leane Krause greeted her students \u2013 weary after finishing their state reading assessment \u2013 she knew they needed a break. \u201cI said, \u2018You know what guys, you just did academic reading for a test, so today we\u2019re just going to read for fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Krause, a librarian media specialist with a master\u2019s in library science, says she\u2019s lucky to have a large library at Benignus Elementary in Klein, Texas, that lets the kids spread out, explore, or relax, and which includes a small amphitheater where she can lower the lights, so it serves as a mini planetarium. \u201cThe kids can read under the stars if they want to, or they can go work on a stick puzzle together,\u201d says Krause, now in her seventh year at the Houston-area school. \u201cIt was very choice oriented, just to show them reading can be fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other times she projects energy that\u2019s much more upbeat. \u201cI\u2019m loud,\u201d she says. \u201cThis year, I have been singing and dancing to theme songs in the library. \u201cAnd with that energy, I try to pull them into the space as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it\u2019s no surprise that Krause, who has used the Literati book fairs going on three years now, says her favorite fair theme so far matches her high-energy vibe \u2013 Story Arcade<\/em>, which highlights early video games like Mario Kart. \u201cEverybody knows Mario, and I had a little Mario figure put up. It got them talking about the books, and it got them just excited to come in and see what was there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The colorful fair graphics make for fantastic displays with giant pixelated characters from video games like Minecraft, Sonic, or Pok\u00e9mon. The Literati Pinterest site also offers inspiration from the work created by other librarians across the country. Krause has her hands full educating some 750 students in grades K through 5 . But the fair is so important to her that she went a step further and supplemented the extensive Literati materials by designing her own graphics and signs for the fair. \u201cThey are still hanging up outside my library because the kids love them so much. So my library is still decorated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The library includes a small amphitheater where she can lower the lights, so it serves as a mini planetarium.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Krause says the fair preview videos that Literati provides offer a chance for her students to get curious about what books they may want to dive into, as well as a chance to hear from authors about what inspired them to write their stories. She says there\u2019s plenty of learning to go with the fun theme, including educational games, art stations and even guidance for students to write and develop their own video game ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Krause says the proceeds from this year\u2019s fair went to support more equipment for the school\u2019s robotics program and more book purchases for the library \u2013 something that is highlighted to the families who are ultimately supporting the fairs. Bringing in families to the mix is important, Krause says, because the students \u2013 whose mascot is the Leopards \u2013 can share their enthusiasm with their parents and grandparents. \u201cIn the spring we open the fair to anyone, but we focus on grandparents in the fall, and then we call it \u2018lunch with your leopard,\u2019 where students can invite a grandparent or other loved one. They come eat lunch with their kiddo and then shop at the book fair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Krause recalls switching to Literati from another company because of the quality of the books and selections of titles after being tired of receiving poor quality materials from other fairs. \u201cWith the last company, there was always a book series where I would have to say, \u2018You’re not going to want to buy that because the pages are going to fall out in about three days.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKids and their parents have really embraced Literati,\u201d Krause says. \u201cThey like the quality, they like the selection. They like that you’re not getting a cheap necklace with a book that the kid will never read because they really only wanted the necklace. Now, kids are excited for the books and not for the slime toy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Krause says the fairs are peak points of fun during the school year, and she\u2019s proud that they serve as an inspiring time for students. \u201cThere are all different kinds of reasons why kids love the library. Some obviously love it for the books. Some love it just because it’s such a different atmosphere from the classroom, and they don’t realize that they’re actually learning as well there.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n