Spotlight on Schools: How the whole community around a London Montessori Nursery pulled together to earn £360 worth of free books

The whole community around the Carol Jane Montessori Nursery in London pulled together to get its young pupils - and their families - excited about books and reading, and earn £360 worth of free Usborne books for the nursery in the process. 

Independent Usborne Partner Anne Croxford shares how pleased she was to host such a positive first Book Fair with this wonderful nursery school:

‘I first received an email from Carol Jane Montessori Nursery in March 2023. The nursery was looking to host it’s very first Book Fair with Usborne, which was fantastic news. Knowing how important a Book Fair can be to spark a love of books and reading, I prepared a pack of Poppy and Sam themed decorations and activities for the nursery to display and use with the children before the big day. 

Staff and pupils were all really enthusiastic about the upcoming Book Fair, which was set to take place during the Easter holidays. This meant that the pre-schoolers would be joined by their families and siblings who would also have the chance to buy their very own books! 

Soon enough, it was time for the Book Fair. On the day of the event, I received a warm welcome from the staff, who are clearly very passionate about fostering a love of books and reading in their pupils.

Fortunately, the good weather meant that I was able to set up outdoors and welcome parents and carers who were almost as enthusiastic as the children about the nursery’s first Usborne Book Fair. It was great to talk with so many parents who were pleasantly surprised that the nursery would be able to earn up to 60% in free books depending on the total raised on the day.

Parents, pupils and staff did such an amazing job of promoting and participating in the event that they raised a grand total of £600 which meant an additional £360 in free books for the nursery. This really was an incredible achievement for a small nursery and means that future pupils will benefit from the books they earnt in years to come.

Overall, it was a pleasure to bring such a positive first book fair to the Carol Jane Montessori Nursery’

Louis Sallas, Director of the nursery, was also incredidibly pleased with the event, saying:

Congratulations to pupils, parents, and staff at the Carol Jane Montessori Nursery for such a positive first Usborne Book Fair and all of your hard work to spark your pupils’ curiosity, giving them a fantastic gift – a love of reading.

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