Prizes for World Book Day - why?

[Woolvee]

DD (7) was excited about dressing up as a viking for WBD. She's crap at sport and so loves the fact that with books, there aren't winners/losers. Until now! This year it's (a) a competition for best prize and (b) they've narrowed it down to a Wizards/Witches theme.
WHY? Just that, really. Why the competition? Doesn't it entirely miss the point? Aren't the celebrating THEIR fave character in a non-judgey environment. Meh.

I could never stand World Book Day. So many parents spent a lot of money buying costumes. I’m sure that was never the original intention.

Maybe it's a way to try and get people to make an effort??

Our school has had dressing up days and one time there was my children and 2 other sibling group who dressed up.
They made it a competition for another and almost all the school dressed up.

I dont see why they have to put a theme on it...surely books is enough of a theme.

I would hate to have a theme, but I guess it's to avoid everybody coming as a disney princess or star wars character.

It’s bloody stupid. I don’t like the dressing up either tbh.

I read this on a thread a few years back:

‘Twas the night before World Book Day and all through the town,
Parents were pacing, their faces a frown.
They’d sat by the door and listened with care,
In hope that Amazon soon would be there.
With costume plans dashed, the children in tears,
Mummy sends Dad for emergency beers.
The children are finally sent to their beds,
While Mummy regrets coming off her meds.
She scrambles around while Daddy looks on,
He knows in his heart that his evening has gone.
She opens the chocolate, forgets making tea,
Raises the threat level to DEFCON 3.
Out comes the craft box, the scissors, the glue,
The felt and the cardboard, the staple gun too.
She sits back and ponders what she could create.
The tales that her costumes would grandly relate.
A Cat in a Hat. A Snail or a Whale.
Harry or Wally. Some random male.
A Mr. A Miss. An Ant or a Bee.
The Tin Man or Peter Pan. The Faraway Tree.
Alice. Hermione. A Witch or the Queen.
A Pirate. A Knight. Jack’s Magic Bean.
A Lion. A Tiger. A Bear named Baloo.
A Greek or A Viking. Thing One or Thing Two.
Mum throws back the beer admitting defeat,
Mum of the Year. No need to compete.
When what to her wondering eyes did appear,
Dad at the door, his eyes full of fear.
He holds up an Elsa, an old Batman cape,
“Maybe a princess? Or Severus Snape?”
“Snape isn’t Batman” Mum shouts in disgust,
“And Elsa is covered in ketchup and dust”
“A wet-wipe will soon get that ketchup right out,”
His smile starts to waver, his eyes full of doubt.
Mum looks at the floor. At the cardboard and felt.
An old pair of tights and Daddy’s old belt.
“Well Batman’s a comic so I guess that’s OK.”
She’s starting to see the error of her ways.
“Why spend all that cash when the answer’s right here?”
“Elsa works too. Now pass me a beer.”
Dad heads for the fridge. He stops and he turns.
His body held rigid. Face full of concern.
“But Frozen’s a film, not really a book,”
“Well at this stage darling, who gives a…”

Our juniors ran it as a competition one year. They did it as a popularity form vote. Then the form winners paraded and they voted for a year winner.
The winner from dd2's year collected her prize and the head asked her what character she was.
She said "oh I just like this dress; I'm not anyone."

Thanks, all! Glad it's not just me, then. It just made me sad that the obsession with competing has spilled over into World Book Day, which was always the one safe refuge for my less-sporty DD.
(Every single kid came dressed up as something in the 3 previous years - all non-themed - and they didn't need encouraging!).
Monger - thanks for that. Bloody brilliant.
Witchend - exactly. The sodding popularity/ parental wealth & time contest again. Sigh.
I'm guessing that if I express my disappointment even in an understated way, I will come across as one of 'those parents'? Hey ho.
Thanks again.

Themes ruin world book day. I enjoyed it when the dc's school gave us some freedom. It was a chore when they restricted it to Roald Dahl.

LOVE that poem!!! Need to share with teacher friends

I have to admit I’m sceptical about all school prizes. Star of the week/gold merit etc and these things are so subjective and just popularity contests.

Thanks for sharing my World Book Day poem You can find the original pinned post here: www.facebook.com/TryingToWrite/ Any likes or shares would be much appreciated

Of the 30 children in my Y2 class, 29 had been bought a costume. We had to award a prize in each class so I gave it to the only child who had put their costume together from bits and bobs and hadn't just bought something from Amazon/ ASDA.

But why give a prize at all??

It could be that the majority of kids have working parents that don't have the time to be making pointless costumes, which do nothing to promote the love of books and has little input from the child, themselves.

Our DS school didn't do dress up, just spent the day exploring stores and books.
Another year, they dressed in pjs and brought their favourite book in to school, talked about why they liked it, how it made them feel etc and also created dens around the class room to cosy up and read/look at pictures etc.

WBD has got so out of hand. massive pain in the arse. Hate it.

Our school did something different and it worked well I think. They took their pjs in along with thier own favourite book and the bigger end of the school read the choosen story to them while also in thier pjs. A big version of the bed time story. Even the teachers had thier pjs on at pick up time. No competition and no cost to us parents!!