To HATE World Book day

[CurlyRooth]

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.

The chain of bookshops beginning with a W have two special £1.00 teen books which senior kids can redeem their tokens against.

Sorry nickelbabe. Doesn't help independents I know but at least the kids can get a book.

YANBU. I hate it too, but love the vegetable idea! It's not so bad when they're in the infants, but the choice of characters for 9 year old boys is quite limited. DS has said all my suggestions are too babyish.

It's shit. We have spent £50 on costumes, the first one didn't arrive because they were out of stock, so now I have had to spend extra for express delivery.

I have 3 dress up days for 3 children in the next week and we had one 2 weeks ago - I am so over it.

They'll be wearing whatever I can cobble together and can then vaguely link to some book.

Lorialet Don't wash/ comb DS for a couple of weeks, then send him in as a barbarian king from Game of Thrones

The vegetable dressing up thing is from Miranda I bet.

Badbride you are a genius

School pinnie, witches hat, two plaits, tie with an old fashioned knot in it, few freckles on the nose, broomstick (if available) and a book, covered and marked up 'Book of Spells' and voila...The Worst Witch. A cuddly cat puts the tin hat on it all.

We've done our fair share of Disney princesses, just cos DD liked dressing up as a princess, and we've done the Potter/Hermione Granger thing. I really don't think it gets kids to engage with books. Our school has always done something author-related on WBD so that's o.k. and the dressing up thing is just a chance for the kids to get out of uniform.

So I'm all for it.

DD2 decorated a vegetable as Peter Rabbit last year. It looked great but it stank after a month at the bottom of her backpack when it was time to bring it home.

Spending £50 ridiculous

Nickel - Well my DD is in nursery (she is almost 4) so it seems she must have been given the wrong token!

Thanks for taking the time to look at this, though. I may try and use it for a £1 book and see if they challenge me!

Boys' school are not dressing up this year, but they will be reading a lot of books. Which is more to the point, I think.

I have my costume ready. I like dressing up.

why woul you spend fifty pounds? most of us spend nothing!

Kundry Am a goldmine of of unhelpful suggestions. Currently wishing I had DC just so that I could send them in to WBD dressed as characters from the classic German storybook Struwwelpeter

^^WSS

DD has been, for example, the princess and the pea - princess dress she had already, "pea" made of green playdough made stuck onto card and pinned on...

Another year she wore a dress and an Easter bonnet (£1 from pound shop) with a spider made of pipe cleaners hanging from it - Little Miss Muffet.

DS has been Charlie Bucket - own clothes, sash of chocolate cars with a golden ticket in the middle. I think the gold card was 99p.

One year I bought a burglar mask for Burglar Bill which costs £1.55.

£50 is way too much.

Actually, I meant what soverylucky said! But badbride we are in the middle of reading Struwwelpeter - kids love it!

I spent £50 (for two) because I'm not capable of making costumes, and I didn't want to spend £10 on something crap that would only be worn once, but to try and spend more on something we could use again.

IMPORTANT

spoke to the director of World Book Day (via my Booksellers' Assiciation rep)

she said:
The book tokens state that they can either get one of the £1 books or get £1 off a book over £2.99. The issue is that there aren't any £1 books for teens as they previously performed the worst and so we now have the app for them- hence encouraging teens to buy a full price book.

Consumers have always been able to get either a free book or £1 off- which is still the case on ALL tokens.?

so, even though the token for teens doesn't say £1 books, you can use them for one.
Quote her if you need to :)

madamehooch - no, no they don't - the 8 WBD books are the same no matter whether you're a chain or an indie.
the books you're thinking of are classed as "11+". so although they will also appeal to teens, they're not actually specifically designed for teens (see comment above)

I still have teen books left over form the last 2 years, and a lot of indies probably do too :)

so it helps us quite a bit!

AnneEyhtMeyer
and
they might have registered late and therefore got the wrong tokens.

still usable though :)

I love it. The kids get to root around their bookcase and pull outdone books and then we narrow it to a character we can manage to replicate. It doesn't have to cost and it's lovely to spend a Sunday evening painting cardboard boxes, sticking glueing etc instead of homework or tv. It creates memories and you can use it to enhance your child's creative skills. My dc insist on making their own cOstumes and accessories and it usually only costs a couple of pounds worth of paint/ glue/ card from the pound shop. It's really only in primary that they get to do things like this. But I do hate it when you get a days notice!

I didn't mind it because our (mine and my boys) favourite book is Charlie Cooks Favourite Book and Charlie cook is simply sat in a chair in his jeans and t shirt - sorted

Filly chucking a red hooded jumper and giving dd a basket, or sending a dd to school with a teddy bear is hardly "making" a costume! just creative use of what you already have at home!