About School Book Fair?

[YellowDaffodil]

My DD (4) came home from school on Friday with a wish list of books from the school book fair, it was signed by her class TA who she said took all the kids round.

The list came to just under £20 and gave payment details etc. in case we wanted to buy these books. Anyway after school DH took DD to visit MIL who said she would buy them. MIL very is ill and can't get to any school stuff and the whole conversation apparently really upset her as it reminded her of all things she is now missing out on with DD (I know this isn't the schools fault) and this in turn upset DH.

Anyway DD came home yesterday with the books 2 of which are sticker books I could have got from the pound shop and 1 is Barbie and the 3 Musketeers (wtf) plus a novelty pen. So nearly £20 on shit basically.

I understand that the PTA get some profit on what is sold. I just feel that had MIL not paid I would have had to because DD had been told by the school to choose what she wanted. Am I being unreasonable to think that the school are putting parents in an awkward position where they buy or upset the kids. We have had loads of letters about the fair and we were intending to take DD on Friday when we are at the school anyway and would have a least got books that might have been of educational benefit. I feel a bit railroaded and wanted a rant - should I expect this for the rest of DDs school life?

I'm afraid this is not uncommon for book fairs at school - though to be fair, in KS1 we were invited to go in with the DCs if we could manage it.

I usually then managed to ensure that they had something that I felt was age appropriate and worth the money.

In KS2, we had some similar experiences where my DCs came home with complete rubbish, even if I had sent a cheque and a compelted order form stating which book I wanted them to have.

So I now refuse to buy anything and buy them books either in town or on line instead, and at least twice each year the letter and leaflet comes home from school and gets binned

Overall its a pity as school no longer gets commission and the DCs feel a bit left out but after more than one bad experience I didn't see any option

You have to learn to say no and to check the list for value for money before buying. Even if someone else is doing the buying

No, YANBU. We are always encouraged to go in with the DCs to help choose (& pay!). I would never send money in without knowing what they would buy to avoid the problem you've experienced. These book fairs are a pain - expensive & lacking in decent books. I usually spend time with DS & DD choosing 2 books from Amason or similar when the book fair is on and show them how much cheaper it is. Frankly I'd rather write the school a donation cheque than buy from the book fair!

I agree with SoupDragon, you just have to learn to say no.
Children have to learn that they can't have enrything that they want.
I would have no problem saying to my DS or DD that they couldn't have it cos too expensive and explain to them I could get the books cheaper elsewhere.

We were invited to come in but both work f/t and Fair is only on just before and after school iyswim.

Fair in on until the end of this week we will be in school on Friday so would have looked then. DD came home with the list a full week before the fair finished.

Will definately go with the online comparison and saying No next time.

We have donated to PTA and the schools building fund this year and gone to all events the school has run outside work time as we are trying to support the school.

blametheparents - if the list had made it to me first I would have trimmed it at the very least, you are right though a no and an explaination regarding cost would have been the best idea.

My kids are banned from getting anything at all from the Book Fairs. They know better than to even mention it in our house because I go into meltdown and they're told in no uncertain terms never to mention it again.

The bookfair stuff is UTTER CRAP and they should be ashamed to sell it!!!

We go to the local library, Waterstones or the cheap stores if we want books/puzzles etc.

I refuse to be blackmailed into buying overpriced rubbish!

We don't get anything from them either, especially not when you can get books from Amazon for 1p plus p+p!

If the PTA had any sense rather than a book fair they would invest in buying the collections from The Book People, e.g. 42 Rainbow Magic Books for £20, through an account for the school.

Then not only would the school earn points to use to get books for the school library, but the books could be sold to parents at a school Summer / Christmas fete for between £1 to £2. Win / win for all quality story books at a cheap rate for parents and money in the PTA coffers!

Not only that but it would make for a decent stall at the fetes, instead of having to ask for second hand books from the parents.

Pixie - the list just had a book titles - no mention that they were sticker not story book.
I think we just need to be prepared for this next year.

My DCs school lets children go round the book fair during lesson time, then sends them home with a note telling you what they have selected/cost. It is very hard to say no when your dc have already chosen something and think of it as 'theirs'. Last year DS chose a football poster! I really disagree with schools selling products to children during the school day. By all means have a book fair, but I think it should be held after school when the parents have a choice as to whether they take their DC or not. I feel emotionally blackmailed by the school, esp as the fair is selling toys and not just good quality books. I much prefer to buy my DC books from Amazon, that I can judge as worth buying

YADNBU It's emotional blackmail from the school. Last time DD came home and told me she'd selected a book and it was £5. When I went to the school to see the book fair and pay for the book, it was complete rubbish and like others said, I could have got it in the pound shop but it would have really upset DD if I refused to pay it. I know the school needs to raise funds but this is a really inappropriate way of doing it. I've also been stung for £5 a ticket today to see a 15 min show at the school next week. So for the family to see her in both performances is going to set us back £40.

YANBU
I hate bloody book fair, its full of the shite you mentioned like barbie sticker books, and is always a minefield of tantrumming kids and annoyed parents, I think the 'learning to say no' is a bit more difficult to apply here that going to the shops on a weekend ect, i'm quite happy to say no to my kids if they are whining for trash on the high street, but its much more diffiuct when the trash is accompanied by a pleading letter fom the school and you feel like a meanie saying no.
saslou- i would be furious with the arrangemnt you described when kids get to pick in lesson time!
OP I would go in and query exactly what eductional benifit this 20 quid of tat is supposed to have and suggest next year there is no suggested book list or it is actully stuff thats linked to what they are learning.

argh! Youcallisimportant, £40 to the the school play! unbelievable. its either free or £1 a ticket here

Just go in and shout at the teacher - that always provides excellent results (well according to some on here it does)!

I hate bookfair season, and I'm a teacher. We HAVE to take the kids to see the books, no choice in the matter, it comes from the bosses on high, and it's a hideously stressful trying to stop them trashing all of the displays fest - I get in and out as quickly as possible, trying to discourage the most tatt-fested choices and lots of "you'll have to see what your parents want you to get." I take the class down purely to pay lip service because I HAVE to - after lots of talk about chosing sensible things that you'll get lots of reading out of, picking things that will be a nice bedtime story, remember it's up to mum and dad if they want you to get anything.

There's some decent stuff there - I tend to buy picture books and the like for my own personal stock so the school gets the commission (which usually translates into every class being given x-pounds worth of budget to go choose stock for class libraries), but there's a heck of a lot of shite in there as well.

But of course going in screaming with an Amazon print out and completely misdirecting it at your child's teacher is the way that most people would approach this because schools simply exist to rip you all off.

Just so you know where the profits from this go - it's usually into either the school or class individual libraries where the teachers pick the most appropriate stuff (i.e. not the sticker-trash) for reading time/story time etc.

emptyshell - I don't think parents are blaming the teachers here. I would never yell at my childs teacher over this (or at all. I am always polite when I speak to my childrens teachers). We know that this comes from higher up and we know that the schools are using the money to pay for things that they need. We are really just saying that we don't feel that this is always an appropriate way to raise funds and that the senior management teams should give it some more thought. If nothing else, it would be nice to see only proper books sold and not sticker books/posters etc.