Smiles Abound as Students Select from Bonanza of Books at Murdock Elementary

Taking place over several days last week, Kindergarten through 6th grade students at perused thousands of books donated by their fellow students and "The Bookman."  The Murdock Bookswap is a PTA sponsored activity which takes place every year, most often after return from the Winter break. Children are allowed to donate any number of books which they no longer read. 

Parent volunteers sort the donations by category, such as picture, animal, and advanced reader.  Each class is then allowed to browse the choices and take home at least one or up to twenty books, depending on how many the student previously brought in for donation.  Students can also give some of their choices to those who were not able to bring in books to swap. 

Upper grade reading selections are always in great demand and "The Bookman" (www.thebookman.org) was extremely helpful in providing extra donations for this area.  To give children a more equal chance at popular books, some titles, like Harry Potter and Diary of a Wimpy Kid, are limited to one or two per child.  Excess books will be reviewed for a few selections to store for next year and then most will be donated to area schools and groups.  The big smiles and excited chatter amongst the classes highlighted what an enriching and popular event this is for students, teachers, and parents alike. 

Bookswap coordinator Jamie Schillreff said, “Books are meant to be shared and this is a wonderful way to make sure that every child here has a book of their own choosing.” 

Kindergarten teacher Miss Fitsimmons echoed that sentiment by noting, “This is a fantastic way to recycle truly well loved books!”

Jay Steiger
President, Glenn E. Murdock Elementary PTA