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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:
Ginebra · 07/03/2013 18:21

Look im not wandering around trashing wbd, havent given it any thought. but i bet on saturday i see all the mc parents in the bookshop buying hugo and dulcie more books. great! seriously. what i would love is if they could give a 7 euro book token to a child who doesnt have any books at home. and i bet the schools know which kids need to be given a taste for books. it makes no difference to my kids!

Ginebra · 07/03/2013 18:23

Imagine if they had world wine day and gave the mums 1.50 off a bottle of blossom hill!!! anybody else seeing blossom hill adverts?!

redandblacks · 07/03/2013 18:41

You can always tell the parents who don't really read books with their children (about half at our school). Their children turn up in flamboyant, TV character outfits which are not remotely relevant to the celebration. Happens every year and many of their children are none the wiser either ... on a different note, there are tasteful ways of dressing up for the older kids; no need to squeeze an eleven yr old into an Iggle Piggle costume meant for toddlers. I don't think a days dressing up has anything to do with cultivating a love for books. Nothing whatsoever.

sittinginthesun · 07/03/2013 18:44

Nickel - that is so sad! Are you seriously losing the shop?

Our independent book shop has had to diversify a lot. They have however managed to arrange a brilliant annual book festival - would that help at your end?

fuzzpig · 07/03/2013 19:02

DD was one of the only ones in her class not in a superhero/Disney princess outfit. But I don't get the impression that they have no access to books. I assumed they just chose a Disney book or due to having 2 days notice didn't have time to choose something else.

I'm sure when I was a kid we all dressed as book characters and not TV characters on WBD.

We don't have an independent bookstore round here - wish we did.

IWantAnotherBaby · 07/03/2013 19:20

I completely love it. DS went as High King Peter from the Narnia books last year (aged 8), but had moved schools this year and they didn't dress up. They had an author visit instead. DD (5; in reception), loves one of my childhood books - Richard Scarry's Great Big Schoolhouse, so went dressed as the teacher from that (Miss Honey - a bear) complete with a toy Lowly Worm that I made to go with it. None of the children had a clue who she was, but she didn't care. Most of the teachers remembered the books from their childhood, though.

Most of the other children were pirates, princesses, spiderman etc.

We have thousands of children's books, but the £1 books for WBD are brilliant and we usually get them all. I think the whole thing is a great idea and I get quite carried away!

sittinginthesun · 07/03/2013 19:20

Oh, and FWIW, I love World Book Day. Local bookshop has tied it in with a children's festival, we're having authors visiting school this week, dressing up tomorrow - currently have a pair of Little Cats, reading to each other, trying on their outfits. (Probably completely outed me!)

FossilMum · 07/03/2013 19:22

The problem is clearly the unimaginative, idiotic inability of so many schools to do something properly related to enjoying books, stories and reading on WBD.

Author visits - fantastic!
Reading some really good stories to the children - great
Encouraging the children to write stories of their own - brilliant
Getting children to bring in their favourite books, then reading out extracts from them - good
Providing an opportunity for children to spend their free £1 book vouchers - wonderful

But getting them to dress up - not very inspiring, esp. with all the other dress-up days they already inflict on beleagured non-creative parents why oh why don't they get the kids to make them at school FFS have. DS's school, thank heavens, didn't do dressing up this year. They appeared to be getting it right. They had a 'book fair'. However, when we showed up, none of the £1 free books were available at said fair. They also got the children to bring in their favourite books. Sounds good. DS is in Reception; most of them can barely read. They were told to read the books quietly to themselves for a few minutes. By his account my son gazed at the pictures a bit then reverted to thinking of Lego. I'd hoped the teacher would read out a few inspiring examples, but, oh, no, they didn't have story time today at all. Aargh!

ArbitraryUsername · 07/03/2013 19:33

Well most superheroes are comic book characters. DS2 loved showing everyone at nursery his Star Wars book and telling them all the details. The staff remarked that he knows an awful lot about it! They'd done dressing in bright colours for an alien tea on planet zum zee yesterday, but he still insisted on donning his vader dressing gown this morning.

We have hundreds of books at home, but my kids are still likely to want to dress up as something ridiculous (darth vader in DS2's case). DS1 wanted to be a character from the manga series bleach but it would have involved ordering stuff from china. I told him he can do that for Halloween. He's always reading actual books, but he still wanted to go as something that probably shouts 'family of non-readers' to those who don't know this. Oh well.

I think dressing up as characters from books can help to fire children's imagination and help them to see why they might enjoy reading. They get to see all sorts of characters from books and talk about who they are dressed as and the book in general. It's unlikely to put them off.

DS1 has just gotten ready for bed (yes, he's 12 and it's only 7.30) and has done a celebratory dance because I told him he has an hour an a half to read before lights out. He is super keen on finishing the book he dressed up as a character from. As he'd been talking to a friend at school (who has read the book) about how great it is, etc. It hasn't turned a non-reader into a reader by any stretch of the imagination but the whole dressing up for world book day has contributed something to his enthusiasm for reading.

ArbitraryUsername · 07/03/2013 19:37

There's an absolutely brilliant children's book store in the seven stories in Newcastle. Unfortunately, the seven stories (which is generally great) is currently at risk because the city council can't afford to fund it any more.

ArbitraryUsername · 07/03/2013 19:38

(For anyone who is in Newcastle, there's a WBD event on this weekend with the illustrator of giraffes can't dance).

sensesworkingovertime · 07/03/2013 19:46

I posted the OP last year, such was my hatred of World Book Day. Here's my main reasons -

  1. It's one more thing to add to my list of 'shite to remember'
  2. It's costly - seems to cost me at least £8 to £10 pounds every year on a costume
  3. Time consuming - buying or making said costume
  4. Last but by no means least - the endless kids and adults who just dress up as any instantly recognisable character THAT IS NOT A BOOK CHARACTER, IT'S A FILM OR TV CHARACTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My DD told me that a female teacher dressed as Shrek today!!!!!!!!!!!!! Aaaaghhhh, since when is SHREK a book???????

And the news today is the local councils are closing loads more libraries to save money - HAPPY WORLD BOOK DAY - i'm off to find a quiet dark room...

FossilMum · 07/03/2013 20:16

ArbitraryUserName - great to hear how dressing up can actually inspire reading and talking about reading
BUT
why don't they get the CHILDREN to make their own props as a craft activity AT SCHOOL, and talk about why they want to be who/what they want to be while they're at it, rather than just expecting the parents to buy/make an outfit at home, which is what usually happens in practice (esp. with younger children or with short notice)?

cleofatra · 07/03/2013 20:23

I had no idea world book day involved tokens of any sort. They haven't been mentioned at all at our school.

MuddlingMackem · 07/03/2013 21:04

ArbitraryUsername Thu 07-Mar-13 19:37:15

There's an absolutely brilliant children's book store in the seven stories in Newcastle. Unfortunately, the seven stories (which is generally great) is currently at risk because the city council can't afford to fund it any more.

ArbitraryUsername · 07/03/2013 21:29

Yeah, I saw that. Hopefully that'll replace the council funding entirely. It is an absolutely brilliant resource, and does loads with just about all the local schools.

amazingmumof6 · 08/03/2013 13:57

nickelbabe

I'm sorry your business is in trouble, but why are you swearing at me?

to me it is obvious that books ad reading are very important, so I find it offensive to be told about what I know and practice already especially when it means the hassle of yet another stupid dressing up day....

my kids hate dressing up, but love books, so for us it is a pointless annoyance.

it is exciting and useful for others no doubt, but I can only vouch for my opinion. or am I not allowed to have one?

nickelbabe · 08/03/2013 14:26

I think it might have been obvious why i was swearing at you - you were being facetious and trying to make out that because you know how important books are, then surely everyone else must too.
Don't start taking offence at the swearing, because what you said was way worse than the worst swearing on the planet - you're basically saying that everyone is as privileged as you and as such, quite obviously don't deserve what we're trying to do for them,.

Bakingnovice · 08/03/2013 15:24

Nickelbabe I really hope your shop survives. Pre- dc I spent many hours in bookshops just touching and feeling books. Smelling them. Browsing. Books weren't escapism from a difficult childhood and I'm
Sure it's my escapism into books which made me an academic high achiever. However, I have to accept my share of responsibity for the closure of shops like yours. I swore I'd never ever own a kindle. But I do and I love it. I buy the kids books online as its cheaper and we don't have an independent book shop in our city. Even if we did with 3 dc I'd probably still buy online as its cheaper. I just feel so sad at the decline in bookshops like yours and wish you all the best.

Bakingnovice · 08/03/2013 15:24
  • b
Bakingnovice · 08/03/2013 15:25
  • books were my escapism.
FannyPriceless · 08/03/2013 16:34

I love the concept of WBD. I just wish the execution of it by schools was more about ... erm... reading actual books!

The pre-school teachers said my children were the only ones to bring the book with in them! I am a naive mother of pre-schoolers and made the mistake of thinking it was supposed to be more about the book than the costume. Clearly mistaken!

The costumes were a serious pain though. My only comfort is that my kids genuinely love the book and are fascinated by the characters they dressed as (Burglar Bill and Burglar BettyGrin). If I have to suffer for my art, at least it is art with meaning attached.

nickelbabe · 08/03/2013 18:26

one book a year is all it takes, baking

amazingmumof6 · 08/03/2013 23:26

nickelbabe if me thinking that it is obvious makes me a "privileged" person, then that is a very sad realization.....

maybe my education in communist Hungary was superior to the current British one/s available?

nickelbabe · 09/03/2013 10:41

maybe it was.
Your point was that "the love of reading" is obvious.
My point was that no, it isn't to a lot of people.
hence the free books.