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?!

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow children still get the £1 book token which can be used for the £1 special WBD books (or £1 off another book).
The £1 books are available in shops already. As someone already said - one this year is a Spiderman book 🤣

Yes, I do.

It was the reason they didn’t do it in the first place. They knew the demographic well until they had to be seen to be turning things around for the academy. My child is one of the ones wheeled out for show when they have visits, it’s a joke as it’s always the middle class kids who for some reason have ended up in this area, to show how the school is improving when it’s nothing to do with that. But they bury their heads in the sand.

It’s not just a handful of parents, sadly. It’s a terrible area and all the schools here are the same. It’s not just about being disengaged, it’s a whole lifestyle of the school being the enemy. And for all the parents who hanging out of windows, smoking weed and screaming at each other who wouldn’t know what a book is, there are some who do care just can’t afford to do anything, especially for multiple children.

So for a child like mine and others to go in with parents who care enough to do something, it makes the other children feel crap and leads to them feeling more “us and them” and the cycle just continues. It’s the children who suffer.

I don’t think people realise just what these deprived areas actually look like to live in and how some families live.

Just like our school until recently. New head that was brought in doesn’t live in this area and has only taught in schools in affluent areas before.

I think he’s in for a rude awaking after email where he said he expects to see every child as a character, no fancy dress, cartoon costumes or football kits.

I expect attendance won’t be great that day.

This is the selection of this year's WBD books. So easy costumes - everyone can go as 'You Choose'...
So they can choose to dress in school uniform, PJ's, a fairy costume, Spiderman, football kit, any old regular clothes.....🤣🤣

I agree with you completely.

I also never got why halloween became about those characters when it's about ghosts and ghouls. What's ghoulish about Elsa?

I think it's easy for parents maybe to send their kid's wearing Elsa, marvel and all that as they probably have them at home already.

Also, I don’t like the who pyjama thing either.

Thats still not the easy option for some families. Some children don’t own a pair of pyjamas, or maybe not a pair that’s fit to be worn out of the house.

Chairy shops for anything are becoming increasingly expensive. And some families actually don’t have even £2 spare even if they could find something for that.

These threads come up every year and they are full of people saying how easy it is without realising just how hard life is for a lot of children.

We had the opposite when my DD was at school.

She loved the Maximum Ride books by James Patterson and made herself a costume, complete with wings - but of course no one knew who she was.

People at school - including staff - ridiculed her for "coming in her own clothes and not making an effort" compared to those in football kits or shop bought costumes.

Still upsets her now...

@nervous234 Could you do a plain white tshirt, get some large sticky letters and spell out the word 'tremendous' or if you or child are feeling arty could write it on.

Or you could draw a crossword on a plain white tshirt and have the word 'tremendous' as circled and the only word found in the wordsearch so it stands out.

I agree with you it should all be stopped as it is the children who suffer. My child's school does it and they dress up in whatever the have.

My friends child goes to a school half mile up the road and the head there doesn't do it because it is in a deprived area. I agree yes, some parents can't be bothered. But there are a lot who do want their children to be involved and included but when it comes to putting a meal on the table or buying an unnecessary costume, then obviously essentials come first.

I also agree that your new head will see a large absence that day and I cannot blame the parents one bit. Who would want to send their child to school to be singled out even more that they don't have what others have. And I can guarantee the children will already be well aware of the disparity in their peers. It will simply rub salt in the wound.

It could be overcome by celebrating WBD by picking your favourite book and discussing within the class, bringing a book in etc.

Yes, or just writing a short passage about why you like a book or drawing a picture of your favourite character to share with the class.

If a child isn’t supported to do that at home, they can be encouraged to do it at school as part of WBD activities.

Or they can just sit and listen and talk about a book if they want to.

There are so many things schools can do that don’t impact children negatively if their parents can’t offer time/materials/money/support.

And OP I know you have said lighthearted, but I'm assuming you have never had to go without a meal so your children have a full belly going to bed? Giving them hot water bottles because you can't put your heating on? Not so lighthearted for a lot of households, especially a lot reading this probably feeling even more shit. My daughter loves reading, she even asks to go into the charity shop and library to keep stocked up. Luckily she was Harry Potter for Halloween so can re wear this. Is this acceptable for you?

This is what our school has said to do, bring your favourite book. My daughter loves hungry caterpillar for bed and a book with bears in and I'm not making a caterpillar or bear costume. She can bring the book and maybe some face paint. I painted her face for pugsy day and it's enough.

I do get that there is a financial outlay involved with buying a cheap pillow case to cut up too. But a pack of 2 pillow cases are £2, a cheap "proper costume" is at least a tenner.

I do think schools either need to knock the dressing up on the head completely, or incorporate making masks/head dresses or whatever into the school day.

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

Educator here. Doesn't matter what kids read when their young, so long as they're reading and enjoying it. And that goes for the Marvel character 'encyclopedia' or the Frozen storyboard book, or Dr Zhivago.

If you want to be a book snob, so be it. Don't care what a child reads so long as their reading - some children will go through most of their school career never choosing to read fiction as they're 'fact' orientated.
Kids love dressing up or having a no uniform day, seeing their teachers dressed 'silly', those free tokens given out really do encourage some kids/families to go get a book when they may not have, and having a day focused around reading and sharing favourite stories in class is actually rather lovely.

My daughter's school have specified a particular book, that she has never read. I'm pretty pissed off about it tbh, WBD is ridiculous enough without specifying the book 🤦‍♀️

This post has caused me to agree even more with the OP

I was a teacher. I fucking hated it, especially hated dressing up like an arsehole

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow what book character were you if you dressed up as an arsehole 🤣

@Wanderingowl and @SleepingStandingUp We have differing opinions about Marvel. Comics are a simplified popular form of literature. Yes, I’m a snob who thinks young people should strive to improve their tastes and schools should encourage this.

DS2 likes graphic novels. He's dyslexic and gets headaches easily from the text of novels squirming around the page. Any reading is good.

DS1 just wore a regular Minecraft/ Lego t-shirt and took a relevant manual in with him to prove that it's about books. As an autistic, dyslexic child, that's what he enjoys reading, that's what he's comfortable to wear, and I'm not wasting time and money on tick box exercises.

Admitting you're a snob is absolutely nothing to be proud of. In fact, all of the snobs I have ever known are of very limited intelligence IMO. You enjoy high brow literature and that's great, but you lack understanding of other people and how their interests are equally valid.

@Ericaequites a child who reads Marvel comics, Dogman, The Phoenix or even - gasp - The Beano might grow up to read these award winning adult graphic novels.

Oh the inhumanity!! Will no one think of the children!!!!

(Sobs loudly and dramatically in the middle of Waterstones)

@SleepingStandingUp going by a thread about most hated (by the parents) picture books many parents will be crying over getting a mini 'You Choose'
Parent : - Look you get to choose a book
Kid : - I choose 'You Choose'
Parent (through gritted teeth and fake smile) : - No not that one, any book but not that one....
😂