Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To HATE World Book day

182 replies

CurlyRooth · 04/03/2013 13:59

I love books, but I truly and utterly, really, really, REALLY hate World Book Day. I just see it as yet ANOTHER edict sent from above (i.e. 'well-meaning' schools) to make our lives as busy working parents the ultimate hell.

And it's the same old, same old every single blooming' year: a smattering of Harry Potters, a few shiny Cinderella's, and many more Where's Wally.

Time consuming, and tedious.

OP posts:
FrenchJunebug · 04/03/2013 14:54

YABU you are lucky enough to be a household where children have access to books but this is not the case for most children and WBD is a great introduction to books and reading.

LightTheLampNotTheRat · 04/03/2013 15:31

Um, shouldn't SCHOOL be a 'great introduction to books and reading'?

Allegrogirl · 04/03/2013 15:38

YANBU. Just spent my day off looking for costume bits for DD aged 5. She's going as a 'girl pirate', minor character from a book she loves (The Pirates Next Door) and at least she'll wear the pirate bits again. She will look fab and just like the girl in the book but no other child is likely to know the character.

Makes a change from princesses and fairies at least.

SDeuchars · 04/03/2013 15:48

We used to love WBD (DC too old now) and we never dressed up once.

[smug home educator emoticon]

Smartiepants79 · 04/03/2013 15:48

Speaking as a teacher I LOVE world book day. All my staff dress up. It is fun and a good excuse for some off curriculum planning.
School IS a great intro to books and reading BUT reading starts at home and needs to be supported from there in every way possible or school can make very little impact.
I agree about 'generic' costumes but that one is up to parents not school.
I love the vegetable idea. I never really understand why anything that requires a bit of effort from home is often considered to be a 'bad' thing. It is creative, fun and allows them to use their imagination. Just enjoy it!

Original poster
CurlyRooth · 04/03/2013 16:02

nicklebabe - I don't have any beef with the booksellers, book token lot etc etc but actually it IS the school asking kids to come dressed up.

My irritation is with the inordinate amount of stress (and often expense) this puts on some parents. The aims of World Book Day are laudable, but there are ways to get the message across / hand out a £1 book token without it turning into one almighty fancy dress parade.

In my experience it just satisfies and ingratiates middle class competitive parenting (who's got the best costume, who can be the most creative etc etc), and alienates those who don't have the means to create / buy / rustle up a costume - i.e. some of those kids who actually benefit from the scheme.

OP posts:
nickelbabe · 04/03/2013 16:12

LighttheLamp - it's not just about an introduction to reading - it's about getting children to love books - and this is an opportunity for a child to own a book of their own.
sometimes, the WBD books are the only chance a child has to ever own their own book (either through poverty or parental priority)

nickelbabe · 04/03/2013 16:12

Curly - yes, but that's the school and not WBD.

WBD is what you said you had a beef with, and that's not fair.

supergreenuk · 04/03/2013 16:21

My dd is 3 so it's her first pre school WBD and she hasn't a clue but I'm very excited. I'm dressing her a a character from 'dear zoo' . She will be the monkey. We can go in for the last hour to read books with them. I love being a mummy

Panzee · 04/03/2013 16:24

As I said on another thread, most of our pupils come in football kits or pyjamas. Just do that.

nickelbabe · 04/03/2013 16:29

exactly as Panzee said - you can be anyone in those outfits.

pyjamas - Horrid Henry, Tom from Tom's Midnight Garden, Willie from Goodnight Mister Tom, any child that appears at the breakfast table.
Football Kit - Horrid Henry, one of the Girls from Girls FC, one of Tom Palmer's characters

if you've got DDs and well as DSs, then you could send a boy in a dress, so he could be The Boy in the Dress, or Bill from Bill's New Frock.

AnneEyhtMeyer · 04/03/2013 16:43

DD got given the £1 book token today - but it says it can only be redeemed against a book costing £2.99 or more, so it seems the £1 book idea is a thing of the past. I won't bother using the token because I buy DD heaps of books from Amazon.

cleofatra · 04/03/2013 16:51

This is so hard for middle kids....the last books mine read were all "normal" characters - diary of a wimpy kids series and suchlike.
BUT they arent allowed to wear "normal" clothes - i.e no doawk, no jacqueline wilson characters etc

cleofatra · 04/03/2013 16:53

Oh, and football kits banned from our school when it comes to free-dress days

MammaMedusa · 04/03/2013 16:56

AnneEyhtMeyer - I think there are still £1 books as my DD has one after her class went to Waterstones last Friday. I suspect what it means is you buy the specific £1 WBD books or you can redeem against any book which costs more than £2.99.

badbride · 04/03/2013 17:10

If it's a PITA, why not have some passive-aggressive fun with it?

Kid: (Arrives at school with a roll of duct tape)
Teacher: What have you come as?
Kid: I'm Christian from Fifty Shades of Grey.

aldiwhore · 04/03/2013 17:20

I love the celebration of books... the dressing up, well I personally love the challenge of making a Gandalf and a Hobbit outfit with zero budget, but that's the sort of thing I adore. Plus the dressing up is in addition to general book-love (though admittedly the most stressful part).

YANBU though op though I hate to say it! I'm a busy parent who loves the dress up side, but I will happily sod the housework and work emails after hours to sew, stitch, and glue an outift together... if that's not your thing, I totally understand the annoyance. If you are neither crafty, nor have the budget for a bought costume it does add another level of stress.

On the other hand, many book characters wear 'normal' clothes, though I don't think many children would be excited by that (nor would the competitive parents who want to wow - I could be accused of putting in far too much effort- but by way of apology I ALWAYS attach a note saying I don't wish the outfits to be entered into a competition, because I loathe those sorts of competition).

YANBU.

But the crazy stitchy lady within me hopes that WBD continues. Smile Therefore my gut says YABVVVVVVVU.

nickelbabe · 04/03/2013 17:25

AnneEyhtMeyer

it can be exchanged for a £1 WBD special book or a £1 off a book costing £2.99 or more.

I do know, I'm sitting in a bookshop surrounded by them. Grin

nickelbabe · 04/03/2013 17:27

ooooooooooooooooooooh AnneEyhtMeyer
they're the senior school ones - I've just looked at a token I've got here - you're right.

I have to say, I never looked - I can guarantee that your bookshop will give you a £1 book for it.
I didn't even notice it said that, and I can almost guarantee that no other bookshop will have noticed either!
Hmm

no one said anything about that.

Flossiechops · 04/03/2013 17:28

Completely agree op. Dd is going as 'The naughtiest girl in the school' and ds is going as 'Mr.Stink'. On top of this ds has to dress up as a roman soldier the day after wbd. Dd had to be a Viking last week as well as them both having to dress up for comic relief next Friday. We have had to make Viking long boats and roman shields last week too. It's a lovely school but I do think its all too much sometimes!

nickelbabe · 04/03/2013 17:29

Okay, listen, this might be very important - bookshops do not get any money for the tokens, we basically collect the tokens and give out the books
that means that your bookseller is more likely to give you a £1 WBD book for your GREYISH BLUE token than they are money off a book - I have only just seen this on the GREYISH BLUE tokens.

If you are worried, please ask your bookseller before you set off, but I can't imagine any of them turning your book token down.

nickelbabe · 04/03/2013 17:43

i'm rather annoyed with that now.
Angry

I've just been ranting and ranting about it to DH.
that doesn't benefit anyone - it doesn't give the senior kids a free book, and it costs the bookseller money!
It doesn't benefit anybody

I've also emailed my National Book Tokens contact to complain about it.

Tailtwister · 04/03/2013 17:48

I think it's a good thing, as the voucher can be exchanged for a free book and that can't be a bad thing. I can see how the dressing up can be a pain.

Dressing up a vegetable? Now I've heard it all! What bright spark thought that one up?

Tailtwister · 04/03/2013 17:50

That's naughty badbride but I'd pay good money to see the teacher's face!

pumpkinsweetie · 04/03/2013 17:59

I'm not too fussed this year, as my dc are re-wearing their fav dress-ups they've had for ages & my eldest is being Tracy Beaker, a total cop-out on my part, but that's who she wanted to be! All i have had to buy so far is one tracy beaker book and a waistcoat. My other two are going as cinderella & redriding hood, complete with the books they already have in the house!

It was a pita last year though, as i wasn't given much notice & i had to rush out & purchase several outfitsConfused, with 3 kids in nursery/school even with cheap stuff it cost me a bomb for costumes/books, so i see exactly why it pisses some parents off.

Swipe left for the next trending thread