To despise what world book day has become

My kids school decided on pyjamas this year for “a cosy day reading books”.

Thank god because I hate dress up and spending money on cheap tat costumes.

I loathe World Book Day.

Humblebragging for people of a certain demographic. Guaranteed to make people outside that demographic feel shit about themselves. A nightmare for working single parents.

And as far as I know has no measurable impact on reading.

The worst is children in football kits or film character outfits. Not the point of booking day.

Our school has a no football kit rule.

Saw a thread on Facebook where a parent had dressed their primary-aged child as Jim off 'Friday Night Dinner' (justified it by saying the school had said come as your favourite character...). A few people suggested the programme isn't really suitable for younger children and the avalanche of others saying their primary-aged kids (one poster had a 3 and a 5 year opld who both "love it") really like it was quite surprising.

I think WBD has got entirely out of hand. Schools are putting pressure on parents - quite a few of whom really cannot afford to buy costumes and even if the 'pyjamas' option is given, may well have children with no pyjamas or certainly not ones they care to send them to school in. They could do a day of activities celebrating books without the dressing up, surely?

Nobody needs to buy costumes just for world book day - we never have. My kids have occasionally used a costume they already had in their dressing up box (when they were little), but most years we cobbled something together from their normal clothing (or occasionally borrowed an item from a friend / made props). So many book characters just wear normal clothes! PJs are always an option (the midnight gang), and lots of Roald Dahl characters wear normal clothes or school uniform. Then there's Lottie Brookes, etc. You don't need to be good at crafting/sewing and you certainly don't need to buy anything! It's only a bit of fun. And I'm sure most schools won't force kids to dress up if they actively dislike dressing up, just speak to the teacher.

Few years ago now, my daughter went as Tracy Beaker. She just wore old clothes! Thank you Jacqueline Wilson.

I sewed elaborate costumes from scratch every year, and only from “proper books” - I was a fucking nightmare 🤣

I voted yabu purely because for most of the children it’s a bit of fun. I never bought costumes they always just wore dress up that they already had at home or as they got older, their own clothes/football kit. I might have made a prop.

Having said that, I can imagine how stressful it must be for some neurodivergent children. I think schools should be making it absolutely clear that it’s optional and giving the option to wear a onesie/pyjamas.

At the end of the day there are so many book characters that anything goes, even school uniform.

my severely disabled autistic one was completely thrown by the change in routine by wearing different clothes. It wasn't worth the disruption so I opted out of any dress up days with him. Otherwise he thought it was a day off school would lose the plot. Every family should just do what is best imo. If that involves going in pajamas or football kit so be it .

Irony is that most children will spend little to no time reading in school today on World Book Day as schools will be busy taking photographs and staging media. Farce.

Both of mine dislike reading (despite my best efforts - I'm an avid reader) and hate fancy dress. And with my ND dd still in PJs and not currently attending school, all the WBD pictures simply add insult to injury. World Book Day can do one.

Speak to the school. Our school is in what was one of the poorest wards in the area but new housing is being built all the time and it's a commutable distance from Edinburgh and Glasgow so people are moving in. As a result there is a real mix of families with different levels of wealth. School is very mindful of this and kids were asked to wear comfy clothes today and take a pillow or blanket in if they wished.

Don’t know about anybody else, but I don’t think dd (3 dcs at primary school) has ever bought a new outfit for World Book Day. It’s either charity shop, or more often, outfits are passed around among friends, or there’s something in the dressing up box.

Not options for everybody though, I know.

It was really nice to see the kids all happy in all their costumes today. We did see a couple of superheroes etc, but mainly just cute little costumes you could tell had been just be cobbled together. A couple of the teachers in my kids' school go all out every year and did so this year too. I can't get wound up about it at all.

Mine went in tshirts and jeans plus props and a hat / special hairstyle today. They look like their characters and were delighted with it all. We already had the hat and all I bought was a cheap tshirt in the right colour, which will get worn to death anyway.

I LOVE WBD but tend to do easy things that can be achieved with a couple of accessories - e.g., Winnie the Pooh (red t-shirt, yellow ears), Paddington (blue coat, red hat), Peter Rabbit (tail, ears, blue jacket). I don't like the idea of buying the tat in the supermarket as it doesn't seem very environmentally friendly and also doesn't really feel like the spirit of WBD to me.

Its a day to celebrate reading and the expansion of imagination yet, its not that hard to come up with quick and easy ideas

Agree, I hated it every year but I absolutely love books. Such a massive deal made about it in our primary when mine were younger, the head teacher was the biggest fan of dressing up and my children were not... especially by the time they were in year 4 and up! One of the other village schools used to do Pj's and a book which I loved the idea of - I'd see everyone in their onesies heading into school while our school was a sea of nylon 😂

My DS (5 almost 6) has been counting down to WBD so excited to be Willy Wonka

I bought his costume for £1.50 on Vinted, including postage was under £5

plenty of his classmates have used costumes they’ve already had, sourced second hand things, or used normal clothes for characters eg Matilda

My DS would be devastated if there was no dressing up element.
We have read Charlie and the chocolate twice through and he can recite bits of it and is ready to be Willy Wonka and say his lines 🤣

Mine go on whatever I can fashion from clothes they already have or can add to their normal wardrobe rotation like hence DS has been Harry (and his bucketful of dinosaurs), George (marvellous medicine), Toothless (black hoody with eyes on and black joggers and I covered a clip on giraffe tail we bought at the zoo in a black bin liner 😂)

Tomorrow DS is Harry Potter as he has a HP cloak my friend gave him that was her sons and this is their current class book too.
DD is the purple baby from Smeds and Smoos so has a purple goody and jogger, yellow socks and I made antennae and hair by sticking purple card and green wool to a headband. Last year’s toothless tail is now covered in purple tissue paper for the tail.

book day it’s what the parents make of it. Loads of kids coming in their football gear with a football book. Girls coming dressed normal as normal book characters. Pick a book easy to recycle what you have at home.

Sylvester is a particularly good story book. It used to make my kids laugh.

At DS2’s school it’s optional and they stress that kids do not have to dress up.

They’re doing Shakespeare this year and kids can do their own interpretation of the characters from Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I just did a 5 minute scroll on Pinterest, and went off my memory of DS2’s closet and put something together. Making a cape out of an old shirt DH isn’t using anymore.

World Book Day is the first Thursday in March every year. I get it if it is your first child but after Y1, it shouldn’t be that surprising when it comes up.

In our area, signage about World Book Day is in shops typically a week or two after V’Day. School also sends out info on the theme at the beginning of February break.

@HeadyLamarr well I never! That's really good to know! Thank you. Embarrassed as I could have / should have Googled it myself.

Yes, @Queenpeeved , Shrek was originally a children's book by William Steig, who also did Sylvester and the Magic Pebble.

@CoffeeMumForever - haven't you read the Harry Potter series? They are quite well known.

Exactly right @CasperGutman - I did message the school but I'll probably be deemed "one of those parents".

Imagine not being able to afford World Book Day! They've alienated some of the children.

Not to mention that some older children's books don't have illustrations meaning it's down to the child's imagination.

I spoke up and now I'm worrying that the school have put me on an "annoying parents list" 😂