Online News From The Tribeca Trib

P.S. 89 Kids Are All Business at Book Sale

by Barry Owens

Behind the counter at P.S. 89’s “Liberty Bookstore,” seven-year-old store manager Jonathan Parker was all business.

“Anybody want to buy something?” he shouted as young customers rushed past.

He was in luck. First grader Rudy Lavanture was in a buying mood. Lavanture wasn’t sure, though, which books he wanted or where to find the titles that might interest him.

“Well, I’m not the info desk. I’m the store manager,” Parker said, steering Lavanture to the girls working behind the information desk just down the aisle.

“Can I help you?” they asked, nearly in unison.

Turns out, they could.

The book fair, a three-day sale held last month in the

school’s third-floor hallway, was a culminating lesson for P.S. 89 second-graders who had spent months studying bookstore operations.

“They really worked hard,” second-grade teacher Jana Rockoff said. “By now, they are just experts.”

Through field trips and research, students learned business models and employee roles and even had to apply for their jobs. Students also prepared book reviews and promotional posters, planned store layouts and voted on the store’s name, Rockoff said.

“He was just so excited about it,” said Maria Matthews, whose seven-year-old son, Oliver Scott, had marked on the calendar the store’s grand opening on Feb. 11, when parents were invited to shop. Students in other grades browsed the aisles on following mornings.

“He was really counting the days,” Matthews said.

The books, which ranged in price from 25 cents to one dollar, were donated by parents, teachers and school staff. Proceeds from the sales will go to a homeless shelter, said Principal Ronnie Najjar.
Lavanture, with help from the information desk, finally found the books he wanted. “I didn’t know they had SpongeBob books,” he said. “It’s my favorite show.”

Jonathan put his arm around his shoulder. “The cashiers are this way,” he said.