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.

Don't u get that love of reading is not just about books but the whole fantasy universe that books inspire, the way you identify with characters, and are inspired by characters and make games around books or imaginary scenarios or whatever, dressing up is part of that.

I think WBD is fab but the dressing up thing has turned into an excuse to do nothing else.It's a shame as so many kids need to be drawn into reading and makes many parents resentful which kind of clouds the message.Think the whole thing needs beefing up a bit as it's getting stale which is a shame as it much needed.

Do they send an ideas pack to schools?

Also think it would be good to enable kids to exchange the vouchers at school and bring in extra £s to buy others. Some parents won't take their dc into bookshops to spend them(the very kids who need this).We just bought ours and I ended up getting 5 as my 3 wanted them all,at £1 a book they're good value.Sadly I saw some vouchers on the pavement on the way home from school.

Oh that is sad kazoo - maybe they'd been dropped by accident? (Which would mean a sad child anyway)

What a waste I'd gladly have them

I read the first half of this thread the other day when I was resentfully trawling for costume ideas and I haven't yet read the second the half BUT

This year was the first year I really GOT world book day. I have taught for 8 years now, mostly in very naice schools in very naice areas. I have dressed up, and seen the kids dress up, met the visiting author and manned the book fair. All jolly fun, if a bit of a hassle to organise. Book tokens were distributed, most got abandoned somewhere and that was the end of it. However, I am currently working in what is described in the local media as a 'troubled' school. Certainly there is a lot of deprivation and not much attainment. We had dress up day on Thursday, most children were in costume, lots of superheroes and princesses of course. At the end of the day we gave out the book tokens and I thought that, as usual, that would be the end of it. But yesterday, on the gate in the morning, a little girl bounded up to me with her new £1 book that her Mum had taken her to buy in town with the voucher that very afternoon. She asked if she could show it to the class. I agreed, but as I turned to collect the other children, Mum pulled me aside. She asked me if I could read the book to her DD because she herself couldn't read. In the end 5 children brought their new books in to show. We read them all. Lots more told me excitedly about their new book. 1 of the 5 said it was her first ever book.

Next year I shall probably grumble again when I get the wbd dressing up letter for my DD. But I know now what it is all about and I will remember what excitement it brought those kids, even having 1 book in their lives.

Oh Ellie I feel all sniffly now! That's what it's about, how lovely for them to have a book now :)

Ellie - how lovely :)

that's exactly what I mean

and it's exactly why I treat each child the same, whether they are using their token for a discount or just buying a £1 book - it might be one of those children like in your school, who have never owned a book of their own, and I treat them like they've bought the biggest most expensive book in the shop :)