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The Rockcliffe Book Fair was started some 47 years ago to promote the love of reading in children and to raise funds for the school library. Since then, it has become a wonderful annual event: it supports children’s reading and literature, it’s a great way to pick up used books at very reasonable prices and it’s a fantastic community event.
Children’s reading and literature
One of the fundamental objectives of the Rockcliffe Book Fair continues to be to promote the love of reading in children and the Book Fair is a much anticipated event at the school. Every year, the Rockcliffe Book Fair sponsors children's authors and storytellers to come and read to individual classes during Book Fair. Happily for the public, some of the authors stay behind for public book signings at Book Fair. Over the years, the Book Fair has been lucky to have many talented and wonderful children’s authors read to the classes and do public signings – including Dennis Lee, Wallace Edwards, Joan McCurdy and many others! Also, every year we pick a school theme for Book Fair: this year’s theme is "Poetry is Alive".
As for the proceeds from the Rockcliffe Book Fair, they go to support the school’s literacy and other programs. In addition, every year Book Fair provides grants to other Ottawa area schools to support their literacy programs.
A great place to find a deal and the books to catch your interest!
Of course, for Book Fair shoppers, the Rockcliffe Book Fair means thousands and thousands of used books for sale, adult and children’s books, fiction and non-fiction, all sorted into categories for easier selection. It’s a great place to find titles that have been long out of print, to pick up current bestsellers that have only been read once, or to find copies of the classics! You can also get a chance to bid on the dozen or so rare or collectible books featured in our Rare/Collectible book silent auction! Each year, we put about twelve or so titles in the progressive bidding silent auction which is open for bidding by all during Book Fair. Rare and collectible editions of such books as James Joyce’s The Cat and the Devil, Farley Mowat’s The Regiment, Mrs. Rodolph Stawell (Edmund Dulac, illustrator)’s My Days with the Fairies, and Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Rilla of Ingleside have made this a popular event, and one to be watched for!
A great community gathering place
But for many, the Book Fair is more than just one of Ontario’s best used Book Fairs! For years it has been a great community gathering place – a place to bump into old friends and neighbours! In addition browsing for books, you can enjoy delicious lunches or desserts in our Café du Monde – come and sample some cuisine from around the world as well as home baked goodies and a refreshing cup of coffee or tea. A special children’s craft corner means that you can enjoy a relaxing bite to eat while your child crafts with others! A delicious way to round off your shopping experience!
....and thank you
Finally, a thank you to all of you who have so kindly donated books to the Rockcliffe Book Fair. We collect them all year and are happy to take any of your used adult and children’s books, audio and video-tapes, records, games and puzzles! It’s a great way to recycle books – not only does the school benefit, as do other schools in the Ottawa area, but at the end of Book Fair, leftover books are passed on to others. Last year, some of the books went to Northern Ontario (in conjunction with Ashbury College and through an initiative of the Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario) and to other parts of the world, including Afghanistan and Cameroon.
Donations of books can be dropped off at the Rockcliffe Park School during school hours (8am to 4pm) inside the door opposite the front office entrance. It is marked book drop-off. Thank you for your support!
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