Page 27 | world book day is a pointless, costly pain in the arse for working parents?

LumpenProletariat · 2022-02-17T09:18:35+00:00

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

ShallWeTalkAboutBruno · 20/02/2022 17:31

Not that I had much time either when I was a SAHM, with a SN toddler.

Pippaskipper · 21/02/2022 10:13

We got an outfit for £2 from a charity shop and her sister can wear it again in a few years

SleepingStandingUp · 21/02/2022 16:50

@Pippaskipper

We got an outfit for £2 from a charity shop and her sister can wear it again in a few years

Ah but based on this thread you're coming from a place of privilege whereby you have time to waft around charity shops looking for an outfit and where your daughter will wear what you get

Pippaskipper · 21/02/2022 20:04

If only. I work full time and popped in the local Salvation Army store on a Saturday morning.

She knows she can wear what I’ve got her or just go in in her uniform.

She’s my daughter (age 6) not my friend

Legoisthebest · 21/02/2022 20:35

Pipperskipper so you just bought some random outfit rather than anything connected to a book your daughter likes. Missing the point there I think
Did you buy any books while you were in the charity shop? My local Salvation Army shop usually has 3 books £1 so you could have bought 6 books for your daughter rather than spend £2 on something random.
Wouldn't that have been a better thing to do for World Book Day?

BarrowInFurnessRailwayStation · 21/02/2022 20:41

World book day isn't about reading books, it's about dressing up in an appropriate outfit. The reading books bit is the least of peoples' concerns. It's all missing the point now.

Pippaskipper · 21/02/2022 22:29

It was a Mary poppins outfit so yes it was book related and one she liked. To be fair there’s a book about most characters you can think of.

No I did t buy an more books as she has a bookshelf full and a library membership

I agree works book day is about reading and not costumes but £2 so she can feel included in what her classmates are doing seems a small price (and as I said her sister can wear it again in a few years so really it’s £1 a wear)

Legoisthebest · 21/02/2022 22:57

You were very lucky then to find a costume of a book character she likes. I just felt the way you kind of said "like it or lump it" sounded a bit mean.

SleepingStandingUp · 21/02/2022 23:44

@Legoisthebest

You were very lucky then to find a costume of a book character she likes. I just felt the way you kind of said "like it or lump it" sounded a bit mean.

It's not unreasonable to tell a 6year old this is what you are wearing for this event. It's six hours long, it happens once a year, your clean, warm and appropriately dressed and its what I've brought. Aka Look, Mommy got you this costume, now you can be Mary Poppins. Isn't that exciting!

OnlyAFleshWound · 22/02/2022 07:46

@Pippaskipper

It was a Mary poppins outfit so yes it was book related and one she liked. To be fair there’s a book about most characters you can think of.

No I did t buy an more books as she has a bookshelf full and a library membership

I agree works book day is about reading and not costumes but £2 so she can feel included in what her classmates are doing seems a small price (and as I said her sister can wear it again in a few years so really it’s £1 a wear)

They sold a skirt, blouse, jacket, straw hat with cherries,umbrella and carpet bag for €2?

Pippaskipper · 22/02/2022 11:17

No, it’s a dress so all of those bits in one, she can wear a ribbon in her hair.

It’s world book day, not cosplaying at Comic-Con 😂

OnlyAFleshWound · 22/02/2022 11:20

@Pippaskipper

No, it’s a dress so all of those bits in one, she can wear a ribbon in her hair.

It’s world book day, not cosplaying at Comic-Con 😂

How is a dress 'a Mary Poppins outfit'? Surely the hat at the very least is really fundamental to that costume? It's hardly international cosplay level, but it's not a 'Mary Poppins outfit' without a hat, is it?

puffyisgood · 22/02/2022 11:24

It's beyond awful and only very scarcely better for non-working parents.

ShallWeTalkAboutBruno · 22/02/2022 12:01

My DD had a Mary Poppins outfit… I bought it from Asda. Came with the dress, carpet bag and hat for £10. I gave the lot to charity when it didn’t fit anymore. No idea what they charged for it but it can’t have been much.

SleepingStandingUp · 22/02/2022 12:35

@ShallWeTalkAboutBruno

My DD had a Mary Poppins outfit… I bought it from Asda. Came with the dress, carpet bag and hat for £10. I gave the lot to charity when it didn’t fit anymore. No idea what they charged for it but it can’t have been much.

Exactly.. No idea why people are so disbelieving at cheap charity shops. I brought an original Leappad for £3 last week, but expensive toys for similar.

OnlyAFleshWound · 22/02/2022 12:47

Personally I wasn't disbelieving of that. But it's not a Mary Poppins outfit without a hat (as @ShallWeTalkAboutBruno confirms)

oncemoreunto · 22/02/2022 13:01

My dc when in primary really enjoyed the various dress up days, yes they were a PITA for me at the time but now I have a couple of grumpy teens I look back with some fondness.
Even at having to replicate an authentic second class passenger of the Titanic costume which was. Very stressful at the time.
It passes quickly enough and my dc still talk about some of the days like the titanic one years later.

CrankyFrankie · 25/02/2022 23:51

100% agree. I love books. My son loves books. He doesn’t give a toss about which one is his fave, or dressing up; I’m busy and don’t like to perpetuate wasteful bollocks or stuff that is stressful to people below the poverty line.

I can only assume it’s yet another fad leeched off the sickest nation in the world, (Americah.)

pinkstripeycat · 25/02/2022 23:54

I drew the face of Greg from diary of a wimpy kid on white paper, cut it out, tied elastic round it and my child wore that to school like a mask. Cost nothing

Legoisthebest · 26/02/2022 00:18

CrankyFrankie I don't think you can blame American for dressing up on World Book Day because despite the name I believe it's pretty much a UK and Ireland thing. I might be wrong about that....so I am gonna Google.

Legoisthebest · 26/02/2022 00:31

Ok...it is a worldwide thing. Created by the UN and held on April 23rd except UK and Ireland who hold it in March. They don't seem to go for the dressing up in America though. So you can't blame them this time.

PAFMO · 26/02/2022 06:04

@Legoisthebest

Ok...it is a worldwide thing. Created by the UN and held on April 23rd except UK and Ireland who hold it in March. They don't seem to go for the dressing up in America though. So you can't blame them this time.

That's different though.

23/4 has always been celebrated as it's the presumed death date (or possibly birth date) of both Shakespeare and Cervantes.
In Spain there are pop up book stalls in many plazas. I was in Spain in 1986 and remember buying books from the stalls.

Dressing up as Shrek book day is 25 years old this year.

www.worldbookday.com/2021/09/world-book-day-2022-announcements/

It looks like the original literary festival has been hijacked by the fancy dress party we know in the UK.

snowdropsanddaffodils · 26/02/2022 06:36

You can't get costumes for £10 - even on ASDA website Mary poppins is £22 - I have twins so that could be £44 spent on something they'll wear once. I hate world book day and it should be restricted to taking in a book only

Staryflight445 · 26/02/2022 07:06

I agree. The outfits I’ve seen are £15 each, I have 2 children and one on the way.
I am not spending £30 on outfits for one wear and find it tone deaf of schools to be doing these days when they are aware of how many parents are struggling to even feed their children at the moment.

They should allow it as a complete non uniform day where you’re allowed to wear whatever you like, or just keep everyone in uniform and get them to bring in their favourite book.

NETSRIK · 26/02/2022 07:16

Just send them in in their usual non uniform and say they're a muggle.

My child has to attend in a Harry Potter outfit and he hates Harry Potter so this is what he is doing.