VISIT THE BOOK FAIR ONLINE: A walk down memory lane for those of us to whom elementary school is a distant memory may well include the joy of seeing the Scholastic Book Fair set up in the library.

This year, due to COVID-19, the traveling book fair is taking a different approach — it is open online. For anyone who wants to relive that fun experience, you can visit School Street Elementary’s Facebook page and find the link to shop the book fair. The book fair is open until Nov. 29. There are two options, shopping the store and shopping the virtual fair.

A visit to the virtual fair provides recognizable characters, like Clifford the Big Red Dog, Dogman and Pete the cat. It also offers a 360-degree view of the “room” where the familiar wheeled bookcases are set up. And while you can not sit down on the comfy-looking bean bag chairs scattered through the room, it does give you a chance to narrow selection options by age range.

There are clickable links to watch videos about lovable book characters, and posters on top of each bookcase highlighting some favorites, like I Survived and Hide and Seek.

Links on the left side offer grouped selections, including books on sale and boxed sets. Sadly, the Wayside School boxed set was out of stock, but there were many other options ready to be added to your cart.

Purchases through the Scholastic Book Fair benefit School Street, and orders over $25 can be shipped to your home for free. This year’s alternative approach may make it easier for aunts, uncles and grandparents to choose a book or two through the book fair, which can be given as a gift and still benefit the school their loved one attends.