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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

World Book Day

122 replies

popcorndiva · 03/03/2022 15:34

When did World Book Day become wear something from a Marvel/Disney/Pixar movie Day

Is it just me that thinks the amount of screen time children get now that schools should encourage purely books today not films .

I remember when I was young dressing up was not a thing we did a sponsored spellings or reading etc. The focus was on literacy anyway.

AIBU - it's just fun and kids don't read books now
YABU - yes it's annoying kids should be Book characters only

OP posts:
BabyTurtIe · 03/03/2022 16:15

Seen kids dressed up as minecraft characters

ldontWanna · 03/03/2022 16:15

YABU

  1. A lot of parents don't have the time or the money to do a new costume, so they'll use what they have in the house.
2.Comic books are books, and readers are still reader regardless if it's a marvel or a different one. This snobbery is pure "look what a better parent I am". 3.For your own information there are actual book schemes developed around superheroes,Marvel, Star wars etc to engage reluctant readers or kids that have other issues with reading. A lot of schools have them in . 4.It doesn't affect you in any shape or form and it's all a gimmick anyways, so why do you care so much?

We've had kids come in as fortnite characters, but you know what? They came in, they took part, felt included, they had fun . That's all that matters.

Chasingaftermidnight · 03/03/2022 16:15

Given the cost of living crisis, I think this is a pretty tone deaf complaint.

Defaultuser · 03/03/2022 16:17

@GCNC

Neither - YABU, most kids still read plenty of books, but most parents are either too busy or too poor to whip up a book character for the sake of one gimmicky day, whereas most kids will have a Disney costume kicking around somewhere they can put on.
This! Mine reads loads of books but dressed up as Spiderman today because I always forget it's World Book Day and I don't have the time or inclination to make a new costume when he doesn't care.
Friendshipqn · 03/03/2022 16:17

I agree in that I find the dressing as movie characters thing quite annoying when there are so many amazing books out there!

FaceLikeASlappedAss · 03/03/2022 16:17

I'm sure it's because it's easier for parents or what the child already has

I remember one year dcs school did a certain author per class! So people had no choice but to either spend loads or make an outfit.
For the material, material pens and bits I needed for dc I spend double what I would of I'd grabbed superman from tesco.

Cryingbutstilltrying · 03/03/2022 16:18

I would think it’s all about what the parents have available than any coordinated plan to undermine book reading tbh.
My bookworm ds hates dressing up of any kind. If I’d had to find something that wasn’t uniform to send him in today it would have been a Pokémon top, and yes we do have Pokémon books too. He’s also read all the Harry Potters, Narnia, Wimpy Kid etc books… but you would judge him based on a T-shirt?
I’m so glad school didn’t do dress up this year.

Original poster
popcorndiva · 03/03/2022 16:19

OK maybe the question is when did it turn into a big dress up ? Rather than focus on reading and introducing new books

Plus you don't have to buy anything new always

OP posts:
WhatICallMyUsername · 03/03/2022 16:19

Our school tried to suggest everyone went from one book. One sodding book out of all the millions out there! They had numerous complaints and had to back down and say any book character is fine and their book was just a suggestion.

DS has been as Harry Potter before he'd read the books so I guess the OP is saying that shouldn't count!

DrSbaitso · 03/03/2022 16:20

@popcorndiva

OK maybe the question is when did it turn into a big dress up ? Rather than focus on reading and introducing new books

Plus you don't have to buy anything new always

That's a completely different question.
Sceptre86 · 03/03/2022 16:23

My daughter dressed as Cinderella which is a book. My son dressed as Captain America, technically from a comic. He loves to read marvel storybooks. The costumes they wore they already had at home. Costumes are about £15 each and whilst I could afford to buy two new ones whilst I'm on maternity leave I have other financial priorities. They were excited to get ready in the morning, got a free book from school each and a voucher. The issue I have is that her school doesn't give much notice otherwise families could budget the cost of costumes better. It's her first year in primary school so I wasn't sure if they would do it.

Original poster
popcorndiva · 03/03/2022 16:23

Wouldn't it be better to not be costumes at all and do a story competition or book swap or something.

As I said in my OP it was never about dressing up when i was young

OP posts:
Mrsweasleysclock · 03/03/2022 16:23

My kids wore costumes that they already had. I do see your point op but I think it's just what is easier/affordable for most parents. I would like a return of school book sales on World book day like they had pre covid.

hangrylady · 03/03/2022 16:28

Oh who cares. My son is 9 and an excellent reader but can I get him to read a chapter book? Can I fuck. He reads fact books comics, books about classic cars and football. Not everyone likes the same things, reading is reading.

2020nymph · 03/03/2022 16:32

@HerbErtlinger

My DS wanted to wear his spider man costume, I said no as it's not a book. He dutifully trotted off to his bookcase and returned with a spiderman book we have that we sometimes read at bedtime. I did end up steering him away from it in the end because I didn't want people being judgy like the OP but wish I'd not worried about what others thought, let him wear the costume we already had of a character in a book we read instead of spending money to avoid other people's judgements.

My DS went as Spider-Man but they had to take their fav book in too. Marvel have a series of easy reader books, much more interesting then Biff, Chip and Kipper!

FairyCakeWings · 03/03/2022 16:32

Schools do encourage books not films, but teachers can’t control what parents choose to send their kids in with.

Ours is doing a book swap as well, we’ve had author visits and the day has been about much more than just dressing up.

Onlyforcake · 03/03/2022 16:32

Marvel was a published format waaaaaay before it hit the screens. Or are you just wanting to ban EVERYTHING that has gone from print to screen?

2020nymph · 03/03/2022 16:34

@BabyTurtIe

Seen kids dressed up as minecraft characters

There's loads of different Minecraft series plus nonfiction books.

Original poster
popcorndiva · 03/03/2022 16:37

@FairyCakeWings that sounds fab. A day to get reluctant readers to try something

I do think the closures of lots of libraries hasn't helped

OP posts:
HopefulProcrastinator · 03/03/2022 16:39

YABU because a substantial amount of the Disney/Marvel estate is derived from books (Snow White, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Best, plus every single Marvel hero originated in print) and there are books of the Pixar films.

World book day is about encouraging reading. If that's a comic or a book with characters from a well loved film - so be it. Snobbery about what constitutes a book is self defeating. I don't enjoy reading Dickens, he bores me endlessly but think HG Wells is sublime...but my big soft spot is David Gemmell. Not/enjoying the works of these authors neither makes me brilliant or awful - it just makes me a reader, or as Stephen King calls us...constant readers.

Literacy is the aim, not exclusion.

Plus not many parents have the time/patience/money to craft bespoke outfits. Matching a book with a costume already in the box is far less extra work for them.

AllThingsServeTheBeam · 03/03/2022 16:41

YABU

All those things are books or comics.

My youngest went in his triceratops onsie. I haven't got the time or money to faff' with costumes.

merrymouse · 03/03/2022 16:45

Neither - just stop all the dress up nonsense and focus on activities involving books all day in school.

Schools should think very hard before asking children to do anything at home that can’t be done independently.

MrsToadflax · 03/03/2022 16:46

I agree that the dress-up angle has hijacked the day and allowed a lot of schools to do that and little else. Our school is also doing a book swap which I think is great, but I would rather other fun reading activities were suggested, rather than the commercialised dress-up aspect.

ldontWanna · 03/03/2022 16:49

@popcorndiva

OK maybe the question is when did it turn into a big dress up ? Rather than focus on reading and introducing new books

Plus you don't have to buy anything new always

That only became the question when people (rightly) disagreed with you.

To your new question, it's fine if there's no dressup and various other activities instead, also fine if there is dress up as long as schools aren't too prescriptive or snobby about the books.

Grida · 03/03/2022 16:49

I don’t think publishers just publish them for fun, so some children must be reading the books.