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Original poster

world book day is a pointless, costly pain in the arse for working parents?

698 replies

LumpenProletariat · 17/02/2022 09:18

Does it make any difference to reading levels? As a solo working mum, I find it a total pain and costly too.

OP posts:
Phormiumjester · 18/02/2022 14:10

@Legoisthebest

Phormiumjester you realise you don't have to claim the free books. If your child has claimed a free book surely they should say "oh I have already received this book so I don't need it thanks". What do you mean by 'full sets'? The books range from pre school age to teenage. Why would they claim a book not suitable for their age? I have found the reason many copies end up being 'left over' or whatever is because so many children don't get to use their voucher for whatever reason.
We havent claimed them. They've come home in packs with other stuff - cubs WBD walking book bench tour amongst other things - point being they aren't getting where they do any good. Whether my pre-teen boys have the foresight to go through them and say no, "I've got this Murder Most Ladylike already". They're being given away willy nilly. Which is wasteful.
Phormiumjester · 18/02/2022 14:12

@multivac

So they are a waste. There must be a better way.

Yeah, you're right. They should be means tested. That would be TOTALLY achievable for a charity, and much better than handing out a voucher which absolutely doesn't need to be claimed if you don't want or need it.

FFS.

FFS we haven't claimed any of them. They've been given out. As books not as vouchers at kids' events. Because they don't get claimed.

But yeah, I hate free books for kids if it makes you happier.

neverbeenskiing · 18/02/2022 14:15

World Book Day on it's own I have no problem with. It's the combination of World Book Day, Victorian Day, Stone-Age Day, Pyjama Day, plus all the various charity days where they have to wear a specific colour to "raise awareness" of something or other...they're hardly ever in the sodding uniforms that cost us a fortune because the school insist everything have the logo on. I agree with PP it doesn't have to be costly but it's hard to keep track of it all when you're juggling a million other things.

KeepingOnKeepingUp · 18/02/2022 14:17

My children all hated dressing up.
I am a single parent working full time in a school full of parents (mothers, mostly) who did not work.
The school strongly discouraged the "dress up as a character from Jacqueline Wilson in normal clothes/buy a costume from ASDA" as apparently they liked the children to come in hand made costumes.
I have zero ability, time or inclination to make a papier mache fucking dinosaur costume.
The whole thing was ridiculous. Everyone was stressed and miserable.
Then a new head turned up and said great, we will have a day dedicated to reading and celebrating books, bring in your favourite book and talk about it and an item from the book, no more dressing up. So much better.
Now they are teenagers and this horror is behind me. They do just fine enjoying books and it has zero to do with the insane competitive-race-to-make-a-replica-dementor-out-of-crisp-packets-fest each year.

SleepingStandingUp · 18/02/2022 14:18

It seems odd you're places that are giving each child a set of books ranging from nursery up to (i assume) top junior level, that they're giving both your kids these and that across multiple venues neither you nor the kids (unsure on their age) cannot say "oh I have that". DS is 6, he'd def declare if school gave him a duplicate that he'd already got it. Sounds like the issue is with these agencies distributing them incorrectly rather than the voucher / buy them cheap scheme that most places use. DS will get a voucher from school and we'll likely pick up a second in one of his magazines.

multivac · 18/02/2022 14:23

FFS we haven't claimed any of them. They've been given out. As books not as vouchers at kids' events. Because they don't get claimed

Ah right. Given out. To kids. At events. Quite a sensible way of trying to reach some of the families who for whatever reason don't claim the voucher, wouldn't you say? Who are you to say that the free WBD books are 'a waste', just because they don't benefit you?

zebrarobot · 18/02/2022 14:24

Ours is just a pj day and bring your favourite story book. I do understand what you mean though as pre covid there was alot of "dress up as a Roman" days and the like, and it was a bit of a pain in the arse.

SleepingStandingUp · 18/02/2022 14:25

Whether my pre-teen boys have the foresight to go through them and say no, "I've got this Murder Most Ladylike already" but are they not saying "I don't want a Bing Bunny book Miss, I'm 10!".
Also, the issue is clearly with your organisations giving out books for 4-11 year olds to the same kid.
And of course they get to the right places, everyone gives out the vouchers - every child in our school gets one, they're in kids magazines, macdonalds, etc.

And uou can't just not provide them in affluent areas, being wealthy doesn't mean parent will prioritise books

SleepingStandingUp · 18/02/2022 14:26

@multivac

FFS we haven't claimed any of them. They've been given out. As books not as vouchers at kids' events. Because they don't get claimed

Ah right. Given out. To kids. At events. Quite a sensible way of trying to reach some of the families who for whatever reason don't claim the voucher, wouldn't you say? Who are you to say that the free WBD books are 'a waste', just because they don't benefit you?

I suspect the poor and needy 🙄 don't go to the places Phorm sends her kids who can't say no to a Bing book
Phormiumjester · 18/02/2022 14:27

@SleepingStandingUp

It seems odd you're places that are giving each child a set of books ranging from nursery up to (i assume) top junior level, that they're giving both your kids these and that across multiple venues neither you nor the kids (unsure on their age) cannot say "oh I have that". DS is 6, he'd def declare if school gave him a duplicate that he'd already got it. Sounds like the issue is with these agencies distributing them incorrectly rather than the voucher / buy them cheap scheme that most places use. DS will get a voucher from school and we'll likely pick up a second in one of his magazines.
Yes you're quite right. I'm entirely wrong. Your dc is far superior. I'm a terrible parent with no wardrobe of costumes.

Have you never picked your kids up from cubs or a museum event and they've run out to the car with a goody bag? In it, amongst colouring sheets and leaflets and whatnot is a plastic pouch with the set of their KS wbd books. No, I don't go through it til we get home.

You're being purposely obtuse. But yes, I hate books and I hate kids and I hate charities and my children steal from poor kids. If that makes you feel better.

Or, they're printing more than get claimed by voucher.

Either way, I'm not buying that WBD, in this form, is achieving what it set out to.

Legoisthebest · 18/02/2022 14:29

Phormiumjester then you give the unwanted ones to someone else then. That's not exactly hard. Or you could put them in the recycling as they are made out of paper and next year they could be re born as a new book Grin
There's no waste needed.
(Apparently parts of the M6 motorway are made from material created by recycled unsold Mills and Boon books)

GreenDressRedWine · 18/02/2022 14:31

I think it's wank too. Luckily DC are both Potterheads and have worn the same cloak for several years running without seeming to mind. Don't get me started on chuffing Greek day.

SleepingStandingUp · 18/02/2022 14:33

No one has suggested your children are inferior, but it's unclear why they're coming home with a range of books aged from 4-11 from numerous places and no one is saying anything. I've never known anyone hand out the set of 12? books to every child. So that does make the books pointless, it makes your group ridiculous. Altho now you've said just their KS which is different to what you said earlier.
And expecting a pre teen so presumably 10-12 to look in the bag and say Miss we got this at Cubs last week doesn't seem like a ridiculous leap.

I'm curious to know where you are that every group is giving out these books rather than the vouchers and the charity shops are having boxes of them too so you can't even donate them.

Again, that isn't a WBD problem, that's a problem with the agencies giving them out like that.

Legoisthebest · 18/02/2022 14:35

Phormiumjester what would you suggest then for WBD?
I suggested once that the independent book shop near where I live (that ends up with loads of unclaimed books) delivers a load of the books directly to the schools and the children could use their voucher then and there (because despite the book shop being five minutes away from the school many children are never taken in there) and any unclaimed books via the school are then returned to the shop.
Unfortunately the logistics weren't do able as my area has dozens of schools.
What would you suggest?

SleepingStandingUp · 18/02/2022 14:36

And trust me there's nothing superior about my rack of dressing up clothes, it's the bane of my bloody life 😂. There's plenty of other stuff he doesn't get because he gets money spent on that.

Also I've previously said it should be accessible and if kids don't want to dress up that shouldn't be an issue and schools shouldn't be prescriptive. But thinking something is pointless because your particular child doesn't benefit from it is pretty narrow sighted.

SleepingStandingUp · 18/02/2022 14:38

It's a shame @Legoisthebest the school couldn't arrange to take each class to the bookshop to pick a book, they might be more likely to ask their parents to go back a different time once they've been in once. Do those kids end up getting their books from supermarkets etc or just not cashing them in?

Phormiumjester · 18/02/2022 14:43

@Legoisthebest

Phormiumjester then you give the unwanted ones to someone else then. That's not exactly hard. Or you could put them in the recycling as they are made out of paper and next year they could be re born as a new book Grin There's no waste needed. (Apparently parts of the M6 motorway are made from material created by recycled unsold Mills and Boon books)
I give up. I really do. I'm repeating myself. School didn't want them. The charity shop didn't want them. I don't know any kids that didn't have them already that would have wanted them. How long would you like me to spend rehoming them?

Print fewer and distribute them differently and don't waste as much energy & resources in making things that then need energy & resources again to be recycled. Then they might not be handed out willy nilly and that money could be used differently.

Phormiumjester · 18/02/2022 14:49

@SleepingStandingUp

No one has suggested your children are inferior, but it's unclear why they're coming home with a range of books aged from 4-11 from numerous places and no one is saying anything. I've never known anyone hand out the set of 12? books to every child. So that does make the books pointless, it makes your group ridiculous. Altho now you've said just their KS which is different to what you said earlier. And expecting a pre teen so presumably 10-12 to look in the bag and say Miss we got this at Cubs last week doesn't seem like a ridiculous leap.

I'm curious to know where you are that every group is giving out these books rather than the vouchers and the charity shops are having boxes of them too so you can't even donate them.

Again, that isn't a WBD problem, that's a problem with the agencies giving them out like that.

You don't give up do you? Cubs and a museum event. 2 kids a school year apart. So Four Sets of their age appropriate books.

How many times do you want me to repeat? Yes, the books. No, not the vouchers. We got the vouchers from school and didn't redeem them.

Legoisthebest · 18/02/2022 14:54

Phormiumjester I've bought loads of the WBD books (for myself or my daughter) from charity shops loads of times so some charity shops are happy to take them.
SleepingStandingUp I do notice the WBD stands always seem emptier in the supermarkets than the ones in bookshops so I do suppose a lot of children are getting them from there. So that's good.
I used to volunteer read at my daughters primary school though and I remember one chatting to some of the children (Year 5/6 sort of age) and asked "which book did you get with your voucher?" and some said "what voucher". I would say something like "the one Miss handed you on Wednesday and you came out of school holding in your hand"... children would be all "ohhhh.... I didn't know what that was" (despite the teacher telling them).
Some children unfortunately will just never get their free book. Sad.

multivac · 18/02/2022 15:16

We got the vouchers from school and didn't redeem them

And how do you think the charity should have anticipated your lack of interest, and not printed books for your kids specifically? Fact is, sometimes when you want to reach the midst vulnerable, you end up 'helping' those who don't need or want it, too. In this instance, given that the books are recyclable and publishers contribute from their profits, I'd say it's worth it, not 'a waste'.

TheKeatingFive · 18/02/2022 15:25

Why wouldn't you redeem the vouchers? You can put them to any book.

I also don't know why schools/charity shows wouldn't take them. Our school is always crying out for suitable books for the library. Duplicates are more than welcome.

SleepingStandingUp · 18/02/2022 15:32

How many times do you want me to repeat? Yes, the books. which why I said I was curious why they were giving out books rather than vouchers. Because every is giving your kids piles of books. The whole point of vouchers is the kids picking one they want not being given ones they don't. So the issue lies with THOSE AGENCIES not with WBD.

SleepingStandingUp · 18/02/2022 15:36

It's a shame but not a surprise. Every child at our school gets a book for Xmas, and several parents complain about it not being a present, what do they want that from etc.

I do wonder if Phorm is in a particularly deprived area if they're throwing so many free books physically that even school and charity shops are refusing to take them

Momicrone · 18/02/2022 15:39

How come people don't mind sorting costumes for Halloween but not wbd?

TheKeatingFive · 18/02/2022 15:44

There are a limited number of options for Halloween and all widely available.

Whereas if we're actually following the spirit of WBD and dressing as a favourite character, I'm going to have to fashion Dogman or similar.

I know plenty of people work the other way round, choose a costume they can do easily and tell their child they're going as X character that they may not have even heard of, but I don't see the point in that.