The joy of book fairs is something that follows you through your childhood into adulthood. When you see your school setting up for the fair, you know it’s going to be an amazing time. Getting called out of class to view fresh, new books, book accessories, journals, and more. But the unfortunate part of this is that book fairs are expensive. Because of this, so many children in America miss out on this favorite pastime that others get to enjoy. One Michigan mom is now expressing her annoyance when she discovered one of her son’s classmates would miss this experience.
Abigail (@abigailcnelson) shared a TikTok for all parents titled, “Plz don’t be one of these extremely selfish parents. Be the VILLAGE.” She explains that everyone in her son’s class had money to spend at his book fair. That is, except for one little boy. Abigail didn’t know that he didn’t have any money and she was volunteering to help the children that day. She instructed him to fill out a form of books he was interested in. When he returned, she asked if he was ready to make a purchase. He told her, “No, not really because I don’t have any money.” She asked if he would be returning with his parents later, but he said that they usually don’t come to book fairs.
Abigail said she was annoyed because there were so many kids who had “70, 80 dollars to spend” at the fair. That wasn’t the problem, necessarily. The issue is that Abigail says her son’s school has a fund they put together for kids to shop who don’t have money. Parents are encouraged to donate to that fund. She said, even with the fund in place, “never once” has this child been able to shop at the book fair. She says this child has experienced twelve book fairs and was never able to get a book, but watched his other classmates shop. It’s incredibly alarming and sad that nobody donated.
Most commenters agreed with Abigail on the fact that parents who have the money should definitely be more village-oriented and help those in need. However, some parents said what so many others are thinking: The price of everything has gone up. That means that it’s not easy for everybody to donate. As one commenter mentioned, “Please remember $7-$8 isn’t ‘cheap’ for some families especially in this economy.”
In the end, Abigail said that the child did get books at the book fair. It’s because she donated her time and money to help him pick out two books. She said it was “20 bucks” and that all parents should consider donating a few dollars every year to this. In an update video, she replied to a teacher. The teacher expressed, “no one is wanting to be part of the village and it’s devastating.” Abigail said that book fairs were one of her favorite memories growing up. She wants all children to experience it the same way she did. Nobody should ever want to take that away from a child. Supporting your community’s book fair with even a small donation doesn’t seem like a lot to ask for.
