Who doesn’t remember the Scholastic Book Fair?

Scholastic, Inc. announced Sunday that its long-time CEO, Richard Robinson, passed away this weekend at age 84. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Robinson shaped the reading habits of millions of young readers through blockbuster titles like J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels as well as beloved (if less barn-burning) titles like Frog and Toad Are Friends. The company also influenced young readers with its wide range of educational materials, reading clubs and by holding book fairs.

“We are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Dick Robinson,” Scholastic’s board of directors said in a statement. “Dick was a true visionary in the world of children’s books and an unrelenting advocate for children’s literacy and education with a remarkable passion his entire life.”

Scholastic is the world’s largest publisher of children’s books and claims to distribute a third of all children’s book in the United States, including such popular series as Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games, R.L. Stein’s Goosebumps, Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants and Norman Bridwell’s Clifford the Big Red Dog.

Scholastic book fairs date back decades, beginning in the 1970s, meaning that Gen Xers, Millennials, Gen Z (and whoever comes after Z) probably have memories of going into the library, gymnasium, cafeteria or other school common room to find tables stacked with new books, mostly paperbacks, along with reading-adjacent goodies like posters and erasers for sale. (Kids got a sneak previews of the books for sale via a four-page newsprint flyer that let you know how much your wish list was going to cost.)

Who doesn’t remember scanning the wealth of titles for sale, deciding which ones you want the most, calculating how much swag your allowance or book money will buy, and the pleasure of plunking money down to complete the sale? Of course, nothing was better than that moment when you finally got home and were able to read your treasured book. (And if you couldn’t buy the book you wanted, you at least knew what you wanted to look for the next time you went to the library.)

I went to school back when the Scholastic book fairs began, but I vividly remember some of the titles I coveted. Here are some of my favorite books from that era. (We’d love to hear yours: you can leave your comments here or on social media).

Harriet the Spy, Louise Fitzhugh
Published in 1964, this is the story of Harriet, a lonely girl who lived in the Upper East Side of New York. She starts a diary – sort of – but her entries are about other people. She follows an afternoon “spy route”, during which she observes her classmates, friends, and people who reside in her neighborhood, writing down all her observations and speculations about her subjects. Her secret comes out of course, and as expected the people she spies upon aren’t too happy about being spied upon. I remember cringing at Harriet’s comeuppance, but also being very reassured by Harriet’s road to forgiveness.

Grimm’s Fairy Tales, The Brothers Grimm
There were many non-fiction books available at the book fair, and there were a lot of subjects that fascinated me: space, mythology, autobiographies, and geology, to name a few. Grimm’s Fairy Tales are fiction, of course, but reading this collection of fairy tales led me to explore (as an adult; I wasn’t that weird of a kid) how the tales evolved from the bloodthirsty cautionary tales told to young German children to cheery, tuneful Disney movies where no one has to don red-hot iron shoes and dance themselves to death.

The Wrinkle in Time Series, Madeleine L’Engle
1962’s A Wrinkle in Time kicked off a series of books about Meg Murry and her extensive family. Meg gets caught up in a multi-dimensional epic journey when she embarks on a journey through space and time, from universe to universe, with her brother and friend as they endeavor to save both the Murrys’ father and the entire world as we know it. The novel shows that a war exists between light and darkness, and good and evil, and it takes the courage and ingenuity of one young girl to win it. Books – especially fantasy and sci-fi books – where girls like me were the heroes of the story weren’t exactly commonplace back in the 70s, and I loved them.

Beezus and Ramona, Beverly Cleary
Published in 1955, Beezus and Ramona was a series about two very different sisters who desperately annoyed each other. Beatrice “Beezus” Quimby is nine years old, and struggles to deal with Ramona, her four-year-old eccentric handful of a sister, who insists on wearing bunny ears everywhere and has an imaginary lizard friend. I was the older sister in my family, and though none of my siblings was as exasperating as Ramona, I appreciated finding a kindred spirit in Beezus, who felt guilty about blowing up at her irritating sibling.

Harold and the Purple Crayon, Crockett Johnson
Also published in 1955, Harold and the Purple Crayon is a fantasy picture book where one little boy creates worlds by drawing on the wall with his magical purple crayon. There’s something liberating about being able to break the rules without consequences, and something exciting about having in your hand a tool that can make anything in your imagination real. Plus purple is my favorite color.

Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss
Both I and my children started our reading lives with Beginner Books like Green Eggs and Ham, published in 1960. What’s not to like about Green Eggs and Ham? Dr. Seuss excelled at wordplay, and Seuss was a genius at creating situations that were as delightful as they were absurd. The frustrating Sam-I-Am, who incessantly proffers the unappetizing breakfast fare, refuses to take no for an answer no matter how emphatically and creatively the unnamed protagonist of the book tries to decline. Maybe that’s not the best lesson for kids to take in today, but Green Eggs and Ham ends happily when it turns out that they are actually delicious.