World Book Day rules

[Flutterbyeee]

So , my sons have a letter in their book bags (nursery and year 1) asking if children would like to dress up for World Book Day. Of course we cannot wait!!

However, main body of letter says:

None of the following costumes please:
Batman
Spiderman
Superman
Power Rangers
Turtles
Hulk
Iron Man
Captain America
Or similar

"Your child must bringing the book their costume is related to."

What? Why only traditionally "male" costumes. Who has failed to see these characters are comic 'book' heroes?

We can't ban superhero costumes where I work as many families do not have money or other resources to make a different costume. However, playtime is a total nightmare with all the superhero behaviour. I would ban those costumes if I could because of this. Next year I think we might do a bedtime story theme and get them to wear pjs.

Also, my own kids have lots of books at home and some of them are about Frozen. It was DDs favourite book when she was 5.

It will be as dressing up as such characters can lead to play fighting.

Our school have about 6 or 7 mufti days each year. They can wear what they want to those generally, so plenty of time to dress up as a superhero if they want to. Or outside school. WBD is about encouraging reading. Of course they all want to wear their superhero outfit, but it’s not too difficult for parents to explain, no, it has to be something from a more traditional story book on this occasion.

I'd ban the entire bloody day I would. Nothing but stress, rules, and huge amounts of effort and expense required from busy parents

I dont really like the dressing up bit of World Book Day, but then I dont like dressing up at all.

This year my son has decided he wants to be Officer Pugh from Cops and Robbers, so I'm getting a hat from Ebay for a £5, then just have to find black or navy trousers, tie and jumper from somewhere. Ive started looking in charity shops and have my MIL on the hunt too.

I dont think its that difficult, it is however pointless if the kids all wear whatever random dressing up costume they already have at home without thinking about it. Especially if they aren't age appropriate anyway.

Feck off does dressing as a comic book character encourage fighting any more than any other relevant book.

I'm pretty sure Harry Potter has a pretty big wizarding fight with Draco Malfoy. In fact, from the number of times my twin have shrieked expelliarmus at each other and their siblings while waving a makeshift wand I know it does.

And Disney princess dresses allow a child to be a favourite fairy tale character. As much as I loathe them for hijacking some wonderful traditional tales, they allow instant recognition of who the child is meant to be.

I'm pretty sure some of my children's choices of Arriety, Dorrie and Zachary quack aren't so instantly recognisable.

It is also supposed to foster some creativity with costumes as opposed to a store bought costume
But the parents have to make the costume! Especially for 4-5-6yo, I will foster my lack of creativity when I chose to, not when my DC's teacher asks me to.

My DD1 loves books, I swear she has more than the library, chooses books over toys and treats, she has her favourites and chose the costume she wanted to wear months ago... But school have now chosen THE book and told us the costume must come from that book, I don't know the book or the characters, I'm quite tempted to just send her in what she wanted to go in anyway, I don't see how they are encouraging kids to appreciate books by doing this, maybe I'm missing the point!

My son wants to ask Raj the newsagent from the David Walliams collections. Is it offensive that he wants to get brown face paint to look like him. I personally can't see the issue if he is dressing to be a character from a book that he lives. Can't be too careful these days and the things people get offended about. He's a child and just wants to be his favourite character?

Surely this post isn't serious. You really can't see why this is wrong?

I can see both sides. The aim is to encourage an interest in reading, and for some children books/comics based superheroes/princesses etc would be the thing that gets them interested. It is also easy for the parents if they already have the costumes. However, it is nice to see children interested in other stories too, and enjoying having created a costume. Not all parents are able to do that though either due to time, money or creativity constraints, and all children should be able to take part. My daughters school often had a theme, linked to activities they were doing in school, which i thought was a good idea, but people still moaned. The one year they had a book illustrator visit the school and do an art workshop with the children, The books she illustrated were about a cats and dogs, so the theme was to dress as a cat or a dog. It was something that could be bought, or made relatively easily with normal clothes and some facepaint. They took a book into school too. Another year they could pick any Roald Dahl character - they also had a competition to make a model of any character from his books. The costumes (and models) varied a lot from very basic ones (normal clothes with a golden ticket) to more creative or bought ones. The year after it was a character from a David Walliams book - I can't remember the activity.

Can't be too careful these days and the things people get offended about.

C-
Must try harder.

At my son's school, they have a whole series of mini biographies of footballers which the KS2 boys are obsessed with. DS likely be going as Harry Kane and taking his book in.

Anything to get boys reading should be encouraged. If that means wearing a Spiderman costume so be it.

I also object to it being World Book Day because plenty of countries don't indulge in this nonscence.

I can see the school's point, though don't understand why they haven't also banned Disney Princess costumes.

Surely the point of WBD is to get children thinking about (real) books. The love of the book should come first, and the costume second. With Disney/Superheroes, DC are I suspect, liking the costume first and foremost and then tying it to a book (whether comic or a badly written book version of the film).

It would be better to do away with costumes altogether and focus on the books.

I'd imagine they don't want to spend the day trying to calm them down as they race around enacting the violent action scenes in character. Princessing around is easier to manage.

Nearly all superheroes originated in comic books. As a teacher maybe you should be more aware of the origins of the characters before being unreasonably snobby about them.

As a teacher it's very annoying and disappointing to have a class of 30 Disney dresses and superheroes

Really! I can't even imagine feeling disappointed about it.

If they are in a book I don't see why they can't dress up as them.

The girls all have to wear this.

Yes it is offensive

Then they need to work on the kids behaviour