To say that World Book Day should be about BOOK characters?!

[mrsbn1988]

This is lighthearted .

But AIBU for getting an irrational rage that there are kids dressed up as Elsa or Moana or Marvel someone every WBD?

This stems from the fact that I've just been looking for a WBD costume from a well-known supermarket and spotted a Bluey costume. Now don't get me wrong - I LOVE Bluey, but Bluey was created for TV. Same as Peppa Pig.

I KNOW there are story books around that feature these characters, but they were originally created for TV or film, so they don't count.

And yes, characters like Harry Potter do, because they were originally book characters before the film adaptions.

I'm interested to hear other's opinions. Is World Book Day just becoming an excuse for kids to dress up in their favourite fancy dress outfit without actually thinking about the book element?!

DS read Marvel comics long before he watched the films.

And sometimes cartoon and comic characters are a way into reading.

I'm an ex-librarian and avid reader and can't get too het up about it.

I'm actually considering sending my son in football kit because he has been reading a lot of mini bios of footballers. I'm guessing you hate that too.

(Our school do PJs which he hates, but I think is a good compromise)

YABU.

World Book Day is an expensive waste of resources, let kids wear what they already own... and spend the money saved on actual books!!

Who cares if the book they're reading was a film first, as long as they're reading?!

Also Marvel was a comic BOOK before it was TV / films.

The Elsa thing i can kind of get because I guess you could say well she's The Snow Queen. But I do completely agree with you OP. I used to work in a nursery and we'd get Jessie and Buzz from Toy Story and all sorts for WBD! 🤦‍♀️

Ironic you chose Marvel as an example of something that isn't a book..Marvel Comics... comic books... graphic novels...

@FreestyleInTrance But are they actually reading?! Or are they just watching a screen?

Fine, I'll let Marvel go. But not Elsa and Anna.

Yeah try explaining to a 4 year old why their favourite Bluey book isn't a proper book, and they must choose some classic literature instead.

I let my childten chose a character from their fave book, and if that book was the Frozen book of the movie, the Beano annual or the Ladybird book of British Kings and Queens (non fiction) then so be it.

I'm not going give my totally irrelevant adult opinion of the book or character chosen, and I'm not going to be snobby about other children's choices either.

I used to agree with you. But now I realise parents have enough shit on their plates

Our school gets kids to dress up as a word. This year it's any word (so literally you could dress up as "blue" and just wear something blue). They have stressed they don't want anyone to feel they have to go and buy anything.

They have called it the vocabulary parade (which I believe is a thing).

I'm super impressed!

It doesn’t matter, the whole thing is wank. If a kid wants to dress up as a TV character it is fine. Do 4/5/6 year olds give a shit about ‘oh but Buzz Lighthear/Elsa/Hey Dugge isn’t a book character’? No.

I hate that WBD results in families feeling obliged to purchase supermarket costumes for books that are usually not their child's favourite, costumes are often uncomfortable and itchy and rarely worn again, just added to landfill.

It should be about children developing something from what they already own, not consumerism.

Our school is closed for a strike on world book day: hurrah!

And if wearing a Frozen costume means they end up wearing something that they already own rather than the parent buying one for the sake of book day, I consider it a win!

My DC has speech and development delay, awaiting assessment for ASD to confirm. They cannot read yet, but they are obsessed with Spiderman. Not just by "screen" but will happily look at Marvel comics featuring Spiderman. Therefore, my child will be dressed as a character from Spiderman. I highly doubt she would wear anything else regardless due to her ASD. But if she wanted to wear an Elsa or Anna dress, I wouldn't stop her. They may not have been book characters first as you say, but doesn't mean they aren't now. Back when I was at school there wasn't even a costume day for World Book Day. So I'm sure the world will survive if kids go as something they want to go as, whether they originated as books or films first.

YABU. Children shouldn’t be expected to dress up for world book day at all, it puts unreasonable pressure on parents and family budgets.

@35965a Then schools should have some sort of mass fancy dress day. Surely that would be better, and more fun?!

I guess I'm thinking maybe the whole World Book Day thing has lost meaning over the years. It's just become an excuse to dress up as anything!

YABU - maybe parents don’t have funds for new costume. Kid wears a costume they already have - they feel included -nobody knows any different & everyone is happy (apart from you)

That's a nice idea

I hate WBD dressing up bullshit. So YABU, parents just need to get through it anyway they can.

We are all very keen readers in this house but primary school teachers ruin WBD with their fucking dressing up obsessions.

I’m with you all the way OP, but I’m made for feel like a grinch for thinking World Book Day should be about books.

Pre schoolers dressing up in whatever they fancy is fine but by school age it’s missing the whole point if parents make it about TV or film characters. Some parents might not care about these things at all or some might feel their children have enough reading/book positivity that it doesn’t matter what their children wear for WBD. But if the thing is worth doing then it’s worth doing properly.

Our school allows screen character costumes if the child brings in a book or comic featuring that character but they’re all supposed to do that anyway so it seems a good plan.

DD's school doesn't do dressing up for this reason. It's a bit of a shame as the other schools in the town do, so on the day she sees a load of other kids in fancy dress and is a bit sad. Also a bit of a pain as the school sets a craft project to be done at home and brought in on WBD, which is more hassle than buying a costume, but it does at least make you think (a bit) about books. We've had to do "book in a bag" which was to put various objects in a bag to serve as clues for what their favourite book is, a diorama scene, puppet book characters and this year they are going to send every kid home with a potato and we have to make it into a book character as send it back in with them on WBD.

World Book Day should be abolished.

Book snobbery is a massive barrier to reading. All reading is important and good. It’s awful how many people leave school feeling like they’re not readers (and lots of associated shame and self doubt). There’s no place for book snobbery in WBD

But WBD should go back to the hell it came from.

Its generally just whatever costume the kid happens to have presumably? I doubt many primary aged dc are genuinely reading marvel comics over the tv shows and movies. It's mostly just s chance for 'those' parents to show his wonderful they are by buying whatever is in sainsburys.

My own dd (8) is a passionate reader, loves books and gets through a lot. Some have really captured her imagination and stayed with her and thats what she wants to be for WBD... but no one 'gets' her costumes. Last year she designed and made (with my help) a wonderful costume but no one got it and the winner of the competition at school was a store bought queen of hearts. This year she wants to be another character from a new book (that I'm very happy about it because it's a fabulous book in a series with excellent feminist themes) she's again chosen the costume, asked me to do a very specific hair style etc and I'm sure no one will get it and there'll be no praise or recognition that she has read, loved, remembered and brought to life.

YANBU. And you don’t have to spend money/add to landfill. Loads of book characters wear normal clothes. My eldest is going in school uniform as her favourite book series at the moment is about normal kids in a Scottish primary school. She’s not going to win the prize for most creative costume but that’s the book she wanted to celebrate!

Yeah idgaf, who has time for that?