The Perry School District is hosting Scholastic book fairs at both the elementary and middle schools, and the public is encouraged to fill their shelves and support the school libraries.

District Librarian Mari Butler-Abry says the elementary book fair will feature a wide range of youth-specific titles, and it’s always popular with families looking to foster an early joy of reading in kids. The middle school fair, however, has more general reading materials, ranging from popular young adult titles to adult best sellers, and even cookbooks. Butler-Abry says the middle school event will be a good opportunity for adults to shop for the older children in their lives as well as themselves.

The proceeds from the book fairs will be added to a specific school account, which Butler-Abry emphasizes is important for growing the school libraries. “So the funds are separate; they’re called ‘Scholastic Dollars,’ and I get to be the person who’s in charge of that account which gives me a lot of freedom to be able to purchase things for the library. And we don’t just keep it for the library all the time, we also fill teachers’ wishlists and buy books for the classroom. So we try to spread the wealth, but also use it as an essential way to fund our libraries.”

The elementary fair will run today and Thursday from 4-8 p.m. in the elementary library, while the middle school event will be in the school’s commons on Tuesday and next Monday, also from 4-8. To learn more, listen to Wednesday’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program on air and at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.