World Book Day Is All About Books, Right?
World Book Day –a corollary of International Day of the Book in the United Kingdom- is an annual event held in celebration of authors, illustrators, publishing, books and most significantly, reading.
As an event designated by UNESCO, it is observed in over one hundred countries with great pomp and pageantry, some more than others. In England, children across many schools are encouraged to dress as a book character in recognition of this important day. This is when creativity and flamboyance are put to the most use and parents go all out to adorn their little ones in the trendiest and sometimes ridiculously expensive costumes. Among certain circles and in some communities and schools, World Book Day becomes a competition for the parents; an opportunity to fight for control, status, and recognition; a chance to show off.
So here I am, not to chastise anyone, but merely to offer some reminders and suggestions about World Book Day and hopefully catch a few people’s attention and save them some money and time. I’m sure some of you are already following these steps so just ignore me… Hopefully this post hasn’t come too late for those who need it.
Here are a few ideas that I have found helpful for the day..
Costumes
Spend wisely and use these simple ideas and churn out your own costumes. You’ll be amazed what you can come out with.
Recycle your child’s Pyjamas and night wears. Think about all the fancy onesies: stripy, dotted and animal prints. These can produce hassle-free, money saving costumes for relevant book characters.
Spend some time in your garage, your shed, your loft, the storage, old boxes; there’s bound to be something hidden away somewhere. All the costumes from themed Birthday Parties, Halloween, History Day, Greek Day, Roman Day, International Day of Languages, Mufti Days, Red Nose Day and all the ‘Days’ that are jumping to your mind right now can be comfortably revised to suit World Book Day. Animal paws, Witches hats, Medical Play Sets, cloaks, medieval clothes, fireman hat, pancake aprons, body glitter and face paint can be used to create a number of book character costumes. Do you have old coats, black veils, wings and wigs, to make a magical Maleficent? How about Cruella de Ville or Cinderella’s wicked stepmother? You just need to give it a little thought.
Make-ups are useful for creating effects so dust your child’s cheeks with a bit of blush and sprinkle some sparkle in their hair and manifest the character you desire. You can easily convert a child’s red dress and a red cloth into Little Red Riding Hood. Cardboard and foil can also be employed to accessorise your child's costume. I can’t help thinking about all the costumes parents are able to make for Christmas Nativity Plays and other school productions. Well, this is no different. If you can think it, you can do it too, right?
Reading
Let’s not forget that World Book Day is aimed at using creative means to get children reading. The emphasis of the day is on Reading, not Dressing Up; therefore, in all the panic, remember to open the book too. It’s probably an embarrassing situation to a child if they appear in school in an expensive costume on World Book Day but have no clue about the ‘book’ (by the way it’s meant to be the child’s favourite book or a book they enjoyed reading or listening to, or one decided by their class or whole school). You may also use this opportunity to visit your child’s school or your local libraries for a good selection of stories or perhaps you might want to use the WBD book token towards a book (where tokens are acceptable). World Book Day is also an opportunity to celebrate authors and promote their books. You and your child may agree that a great amount of creativity and time are required in drawing up an engaging piece of story. Yet, we are almost too aware that Writing, Book authorship or being a published author doesn’t necessarily bring financial advantage. Most authors (including myself), write as a hobby, and use their platforms for charitable works. So, if you know a local author (in your child’s school or your local community, use WBD as an opportunity to support, celebrate and promote their works.
Activities
Get doing activities at home, at school and at your local libraries. The World Book Day Website has lots of activities going on around the country with resources for free downloads. Check out:
World Book Day - NEWS & EVENTS
Bedtime Story
Last but by no means the least, read a bedtime story with your child on World Book Day. Bedtime stories are good for adults and children alike- I enjoy them, even at my age! You and your child can take turns to read to each other. Research has shown that bedtime stories help the brain develop – Get more on this here.
Thank you for reading. Please share your ideas. Someone is bound to benefit from it.