To despise what world book day has become

[Whoinvented]

Currently searching for an outfit for my child who hates fancy dress but loves books. Why can’t schools just ask kids to bring their favourite book in? Why the expensive ridiculous need for a costumer every sodding year!!! We don’t have the money to waste, I’m crap at making stuff, my kids hate it. World book day has lost its meaning and can get fucked 😂

I always wondered who bought those naff costumes you see in the supermarkets. Mumsnet I suppose. We choose characters based off the clothes we have. DD was a pokemon trainer last year, just took her pokemon book and a small toy.

My daughter loves it. She loves books and dressing up. Her school have said they can just wear play clothes if they don't want to dress up. They also bring the book that their character is from, or their favourite book if they aren't dressing up.

Our primary school have been really good at recognising the pressure it can put on parents so a couple of years ago they switched it to a pyjama/comfy clothes day instead and everyone loves it.
If your dc is happy to, pyjamas always is a good one to fall back on.

Our school has also ditched it. Phew

It all seems so reductive and pointless now. I think I'd send them in as O'Brien from 1984, or Mr Kurtz, or Captain Ahab, just to make a point.

(I realise a prosthetic leg made from the jawbone of a whale might be challenging)

I love this. I would happily send them in pjs and I would even buy new ones if they wanted as they’ll be used again but fancy dress every year is just crap. They say make your own but I am not that way inclined so we all end up buying and wasting money. It’s so unnecessary. If I was a head I’d say PJs or just bring your favourite book in. Parents have so much on already!

Damn wish ours would! My kids aren’t interested in dressing up , love the books but they get stressed almost as they don’t want to dress up but don’t want to stand out

Ours have said either...

Dress up but have discouraged purchasing new costumes (strong eco focus)
Wear pyjamas, because lots of people like to read at bed time
Wear non uniform
Wear uniform (high % ND kids who struggle with non uniform days)

Purely from my perspective, I disagree.

My DD loves reading and books and loves World Book Day. She'll read a book she loves and decide months in advance that she wants to be that particular character. I think it's a great way to connect with books.

I know this isn't always the case, though and the number of TV and film characters is a bit depressing.

The problem with 'just send them in as a character who wears normal clothes' is selling that to your kid. They say they want to be Voldemort or Willy Wonka or Gandalf and you have to kill all their ideas dead and tell them they have to go as a muggle. It makes the whole thing stressful and sad.

Our school stopped it, I’d say because so many came in dressed as superheroes. It has turned awful, they should have authors come in, or book readings/ competitions about making up your own characters or stories etc.

DS’s school done dressing up for WBD, they do a book swap, kids bring in books they have finished with and get to choose a new one, the kids love it and get really excited choosing new books

Oh god absolutely agree, but i think op said her child hated dressing up? Or was that someone else?

If your child hates dressing up then sending them in as someone who wears ordinary clothes is a good shout

👏👏😂😂

That’s what my oldest used to do 😅

Dressing up at dd's school is optional, pr you can just go non uniform if you want to. No one needs to pay either way. They talk about their favourite books and have a new one read to them, which they base some activities around. I think it is a great approach. Dd is excited and loves dressing up.

It's the same for us, she loves reading and gets so excited at least a month in advance. We either use clothes that we have or add a piece such as a red top that she will wear again. There are so many low effort costume options that it seems a shame to have people turn to store bought or loathe the entire thing.

I noticed racks of costumes in my local charity shop. Trouble is I won't be able to go until Wednesday and WBD is Thursday so if there is nothing suitable, it will be total panic!!

DC will not settle for the PJ option school has thrown in. Desperately tried to get them to go as the book she has of herself 😅 (like Where's Wally) but she's not having that either!

I hate it.

If the like HP they can just go as a muggle, was my DSC who hated dressing up choice each year - wore their own clothes, took in copy of the book happy days!

Edit - Just seen others have suggested already! Any way it worked for him, my DD loves dressing up so would hate that idea but it's absolutely fine for those who don't like it and allows them to engage in the day in a way they feel comfortable with.

Yes it’s a massive pain in the arse. Our nursery does it. Last year because we had a bee costume anyway my then 3 year old went as the bee from the Scarecrows Wedding. Everyone else went as a Disney princess. So this year she insists she wants to be a princess. We don’t even have any princess books!

DS went one year as slinky malinki in a black cat onesie he already had, then the next year the same onesie had a red head band/scarf added to it and he was toto the ninja cat, you need to reverse engineer it to things you have

My child got really into Lottie Brooks books. Decorated leggings and a top all over, stuck things on it. Really went to town. Did a whole diary, made a personalised Lottie Brooks bag made a boba tea to carry round. So much effort. All by herself cos she wanted to do it (every other year we just bought a costume). I was so proud of her and what she did and thought she's got to win the class competition. (The competitions are for homemade costumes fyi).

No one had gone to the trouble she'd gone to. Or make their own like hers.

Did she win? No. It went to someone who'd bought a costume. It really peed me off that did. That was not me being biased.

Our school does a 'vocabulary word' which works great as can dress as elaborately or basic as you like.

Last year he went as sport and worse his sports kit but also his swim goggles and other accessories. Year before he was explore and he wore an explorers hat he already owned and carried his binoculars round his neck and his magnifying glass in his pocket. He was very into bugs that year.

This year he's just said he wants to go maths, he's planning to make a cardboard blackboard to wear like a sandwich board and draw sums on it in chalk. I thought that was very inventive

There was none of this nonsense when I was in school (1950s).If there was anything which involved money I didnt dare to ask for it as the result would be a slap. We were given those horrid little envelopes in which our mothers were supposed to put money. I used to slip a foreign coin in. If you kept forgetting you were shown up by the teacher in front of the class.

Once a year we had the school pageant when my grandmother loved making me costumes. One year I was a gypsy with a headdress made with brass curtain rings. Next I was Maid Marian from Robin Hood with a tall pointy hat. I loved the pointy hat.

If Id had children I would have opted out and sent them in normal clothes. Fortunately for my children I never had any as I would probably have been as tough on them as my parents were on me.

My niece's school don't do costumes now because it got a bit pointless when it was apparent that the costume was first priority and the book element barely mattered.

What they do now is get a plain white tshirt that they draw on and decorate. It has to represent their favourite book. They do it in art classes in school and then wear the tshirt on world book day.