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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

254 replies

mrsbn1988 · 21/02/2023 20:34

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?!

OP posts:
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WalkAwaySugarbear · 22/02/2023 08:40

It's a stupid waste of time and money. Our school have added a further limit and given each year a letter to link to a book or character. We have E. How many Elsas are going to be there?
They used to have a get out clause of PJs but stopped it.

RagingWoke · 22/02/2023 08:41

I think having a day actually focused on reading at school, or writing a report on a book you read recently, would be more useful than encouraging the consumption of yet more polyester crap, frankly. Why are British schools so uniquely obsessed with dressing up? I've never seen anything like this obsession in other countries.

Absolutely agree, however it's not what happens in the schools I am familiar with. It's dress up, decorate a potato and that's it. I would fully support a day focused on reading, writing a report and sharing.
in my DDs school this year they have 4 competitions including the dress up. There's a shoebox diarama, decorate a penny and another crafty one. Every year is the same with a certain group of parents who pick a random thing they see on Pinterest and do it themselves (and one gets a family's member to do it because they are better at crafts) and the dc have no involvement, don't know the book or character and they win whatever the prize is. While the dc who have genuinely chosen and created something are overlooked, not asked about their choice and get no recognition.

It's all just made into a competition and misses the point of WBD. Maybe this is specific to the area I live in, but sadly i suspect not.

MyOtherCarIsAPorsche · 22/02/2023 08:41

Granddaughter has Tudor Day today (was informed Monday). Whole class is supposed to dress as Tudors.

Then book day has to be a Roald Dahl character.

I'm glad I'm far removed from these 'celebrations' (grandma/retired teacher).

We once had wear a hat day - a child wore his father's full face motorcycle helmet all day. Confused

nervous234 · 22/02/2023 08:42

My child's school is doing the 'dress as a word' thing, and the word he's been given is 'tremendous'. How do you dress up as the word 'tremendous'?!

OracleMiracle · 22/02/2023 08:46

IMO its about encouraging a love of learning and schools spend the week(s) in the build up to Book Day exploring different authors and themes. The idea is that talking about books might help nurture that love of reading and introduce stories that children may not yet have come across and might enjoy too. There is absolutely nothing wrong with topping it all off with a bit of fun and having everyone dress up for the day. By leaving it open for any costume, you are relieving pressure from parents who haven’t got the time, energy or finances to stick to a specific book character. Let them wear anything they have and focus on celebrating wonderful stories and beautiful books!

niclw · 22/02/2023 08:51

I completely agree. My DS is four and we decided he would be Supertato this year. We looked through all of the books we read together and he chose. I will be keeping it simple by putting him in joggers and sweatshirt in a camel colour then I will make a belt out fabric I already have at home. If I've got fabric for a red cape I'll do that too but I might have to order a red cape as currently at home with covid. I'd rather home made though rather than purchasing something.

Last year he went as the gruffalo in a home made costume. I stitched purple felt prickles on the back of a brown top and made a felt tail and mask.

Wanderingowl · 22/02/2023 08:53

Ericaequites · 22/02/2023 02:29

There are books which are better than others. Comic books, books featuring TV characters, and anything related to Dis**y are not as good as children’s classics such as Beatrix Potter, Elinor Brent-Dyer, Tolkien, and Laura Ingalls Wilder. Teaching children to comprehend and appreciate good literature is an important part of education.
I’m a good seamstress, and would be willing to put 10-20 hours into making a wonderful WBD costume. When I was a child, my mother loathed Halloween. I made my own costumes, which weren’t as nice as those bought or rented for the occasion. Why shouldn’t my child have something others would envy?

That's just not true. There are absolutely excellent comic books. Just going off the basics like Marvel, God Loves Man Kills, the Phoenix Saga, Days of Future Past, The Night Gwen Stacy Died, etc are all outstanding. Certainly equivalent or, tbh far better than Tolkien in the complexity of the story telling and characterisation. Shitting on something you clearly have no idea about doesn't make you look clever.

TheKeatingFive · 22/02/2023 08:53

There is absolutely nothing wrong with topping it all off with a bit of fun and having everyone dress up for the day.

It's not that it's 'wrong', more that it's a bit lazy and overdone at this stage, and not necessarily enjoyable for all.

So fine, go with that approach if you want, but don't have the gall to complain about kids come in as Elsa. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, given the circs.

eggandonion · 22/02/2023 08:54

If you look on the wbd stand in your local bookshop, there is an actual Spiderman book there!
My son would have wanted to be James Bond, who was a book before a film...although he saw the films before he read the books.

rexythedinosaur · 22/02/2023 08:55

I sort of agree OP, but Marvel was a comic long before it was film/ tv show.

I think it's all a bit of a blurry line when you think about it and really if kids are dressing up and having fun, and as long as the school puts the emphasis on celebrating reading, then it's all good.

MrsSkylerWhite · 22/02/2023 08:57

All very lovely if you've money to buy or time to put together an appropriate costume. Lots of people don’t.

SleepingStandingUp · 22/02/2023 08:59

NeverApologiseNeverExplain · 22/02/2023 00:24

It's perfectly possible to make a costume that needs no glue or sewing, using normal clothes that can be worn again afterwards.

Not if your kid gets an opinion tho. Mine has an opinion. He doesn't want to be George or Harold, he wants to have the head of a dog, the body of a man and the heart of a super hero!

Needmorelego · 22/02/2023 09:00

@WalkAwaySugarbear a book with the letter E.
That's easy.... a dozen post it notes with interesting facts written on attached to whatever clothes you child wants to wear.......your child is an Encyclopedia.

TheKeatingFive · 22/02/2023 09:02

he wants to have the head of a dog, the body of a man and the heart of a super hero!

😂

I lived in fear of mine wanting to be Dogman. Which is unfortunate as it was his (and my) favourite for quite some time.

TheKeatingFive · 22/02/2023 09:03

A completely genuine question. How do you get postit's to stay attached to clothing for any length of time?

MissTrip82 · 22/02/2023 09:04

Yes my kid always wears a costume from a book. That’s how I know I’m a better parent and vastly more intellectual than the other parents.

Genuinely can’t imagine caring about this. Always feel a bit impressed that some
parent manages an Ironman costume.

Needmorelego · 22/02/2023 09:04

@WalkAwaySugarbear infact each interesting fact could be about things starting with E - elephants, eggs, Easter, envelopes, England.....

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 22/02/2023 09:04

YABU - parents don’t always have the money for a new costume, and especially not the time to make one. Some parents aren’t massively familiar with book characters themselves, or are so worn down with the shit show the govt has created of our country (huge bills, more and more work for no more money, some with threats of homelessness etc) that they have no time to think how to put together an eg Matilda costume.

Needmorelego · 22/02/2023 09:05

@TheKeatingFive safety pins.

doublechocolatedigestives · 22/02/2023 09:05

@GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

SleepingStandingUp · 22/02/2023 09:06

Ericaequites · 22/02/2023 02:29

There are books which are better than others. Comic books, books featuring TV characters, and anything related to Dis**y are not as good as children’s classics such as Beatrix Potter, Elinor Brent-Dyer, Tolkien, and Laura Ingalls Wilder. Teaching children to comprehend and appreciate good literature is an important part of education.
I’m a good seamstress, and would be willing to put 10-20 hours into making a wonderful WBD costume. When I was a child, my mother loathed Halloween. I made my own costumes, which weren’t as nice as those bought or rented for the occasion. Why shouldn’t my child have something others would envy?

There is literature that's technically better written, but it doesn't make the book better to someone if they don't enjoy it more. A book someone doesn't want to read is just dead tree and ink.

And you can't compare Tolkien to Stan Lee, not because one is BETTER but because they're not aiming for the same output. I don't get comics, I like wordy stuff. DH, arguably cleverer than me, reads and writes his own comics. We just have different tastes, not superior and inferior tastes.

TheKeatingFive · 22/02/2023 09:06

safety pins.

Hmm, not sure I'd be comfortable with sending a six year old in covered in safety pins. For example.

SleepingStandingUp · 22/02/2023 09:08

TheKeatingFive · 22/02/2023 09:02

he wants to have the head of a dog, the body of a man and the heart of a super hero!

😂

I lived in fear of mine wanting to be Dogman. Which is unfortunate as it was his (and my) favourite for quite some time.

Last year was captain underpants.

No DS you need clothes on under your pants and cape.
Why?
Because it's SCHOOL and MARCH!
Oh.

Ended up buying his skin tone leggings and long sleeved top to go underneath but we got some looks walking to school 😸😸

Needmorelego · 22/02/2023 09:09

@TheKeatingFive safety pins should be ok. A lot of kids wear badges on their birthday.

WhereAreMyAirpods · 22/02/2023 09:09

Do s hooks put pressure on parents to buy a new shop brought outfit every year, or do parents do it to each other?

I think it's more that parents find out a costume is expected, and then either don't have the time or imagination to assess what they have already and what could be repurposed for a costume. Buying in hte supermarket or ordering on Amazon is the easy option.