04 March 2010

World Book Day... or World Disney Day?

In previous years I have blogged about World Book Day and have suggested some really simple costume ideas.

There are hundreds of children in books - Charlie or Lola, Harry (with his bucket of dinosaurs), Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk, the Famous Five or Secret Seven, the Baudelaire children (from A Series of Unfortunate Events), Pippa Longstocking, Milly Molly Mandy, Poppy or Sam (Usborne Farmyard Tales) - I am sure you can think of even more...


So today is World Book Day - is your child dressing up?

I read parenting forums / see comments on facebook and think that the whole spirit of dressing up as a book character has been lost in the commercialism of character dressing up clothes.

I hear reports of schools full of little girls in Disney princess dresses (yes I know some of them existed in books before Disney got their hands on it but they didn't wear identikit Disney designed outfits) or going as Hannah Montana and boys going in their favourite football strip, Spiderman, Powerrangers and so on and wonder whether it is all a waste of time.

I suppose I can sit here a bit smug as we haven't had to dress up today so I haven't had any stress... what was your playground like this morning?

3 comments:

Motherontheedge said...

This drives me INSANE.

This year my son and I worked blooming hard on a rather lovely Cat in the Hat costume for Literacy Week last month. I was so chuffed with it. He walked into school bursting with pride at his handsome homemade costume.

All the kids in their Spiderman, Darthvader, HSM and PowerRangers laughed and pointed at his "stupid hat". My poor 5 year old clung on to me "Mum, I want a shop costume, I should have come as Ben10, they're all laughing at me"

So come collection time my heart was in my mouth, had my son spent all day being bullied? I shouldn't have worried, he flew out of the door, holding to his hat with one hand, his "best costume" certificate in the other.

His was the only homemade costume in the whole school, when the head gave him the award she told him "you have a very clever mummy" We walked home heads held high, very pleased with ourselves.

The other parents are cursing me because all the kids want a homemade costume.

We're already planning a killer costume for next year!

Not From Lapland said...

world Disney day sounds rather sinister...

melitsa said...

This made me rather sad. There are certain times of the year like now and Christmas I love to listen in on the costume woes and excitement of being a sheep or camel in the nativity or which book character. Where we are currently Halloween is the only chance and since I personally feel it's not a festival I want to participate in. My kids do,sadly. So wish they had other opportunities like world book day to do and be. Not that I can make a costume. My kids are super heroes all the time at home.