Rainy Day Books to host Ingels Elementary book fair, give all students $20 vouchers

By Tony Madden

Rainy Day Books is ensuring no Ingels Elementary School student is denied the chance to read a new book of their very own. 

The longtime Kansas City bookseller will host a book fair at Ingels Elementary School in the Hickman Mills School District from May 13 until May 15, according to a release from Mayor Pro Tem Ryana Parks-Shaw’s office. No student will go home empty-handed thanks to the company’s Books for All program.

All students will receive $20 in “Book Bucks” to go toward a purchase at the fair, the release says. The fair also includes a family night hosted by Rainy Day Books on May 14 from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m.

Designed to spark curiosity and inspire a love of reading, the book fair will bring a “full-service bookstore experience” into Ingels Elementary with a curated selection of books for all ages. Rainy Day Books has hosted more than 20 book fairs across the metro since 2024, the company says. 

Ingels Elementary School was chosen for a Rainy Day Books book fair in part through guidance from Parks-Shaw, who attended the school and went on to graduate from Ruskin High School. The $20 vouchers put opportunity and confidence directly into students’ hands, calling it an investment in Kansas City’s children and future. 

Support for the Books for All program is made possible through community partners. Rainy Day Books reports a “meaningful portion” of funding came from a recent adult book fair at Burns & McDonnell, in partnership with United Way of Greater Kansas City.