Some of our ideas for World Book Day

March 6th is World Book Day.  A day to celebrate the joy of reading!  Kids across the country will be joining in with the celebrations as many schools get onboard with the fun.  Both Kizzy and Freddy will be going to school wearing fancy dress, as they adopt the appearance of favourite book characters. It's a lovely way to get even the most reluctant readers interested in reading books.

Whether you purchase a ready made fancy dress costume or if you make your own, there are hundreds of different characters to choose from.  A survey of 800 mums found that the two most popular characters for children in the UK to dress up as on World Book Day are the Gruffalo and Harry Potter*.  Harry Potter costumes are relatively easy to do, but the Gruffalo would be more of a challenge and definitely not something I'll be trying!

Image: Fancydressball.co.uk

This year Kizzy's class are dressing up as characters from classical fiction and she is planning on going as 20's socialite Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby. She has a twenties style dress accessorised with a hairband, brooch and 20's hair and make-up.  She is currently reading the book in preparation.  She reads way above her age and loves fashion, so Daisy is an ideal (if not a little unconventional) choice for my 11 year old.

Freddy has decided that he wants to be a knight like King Arthur or Mike the Knight!  He has a costume already so this is an easy one. I like having a few outfits in the dressing up box that we can use for parties or events.  He will undoubtedly change his mind several times before the big day and so the Iron Man costume will be on stand by.

Over the years I have made lots of different costumes for my children to wear.  One of my favourites is the Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz.  To make it, I took an old jacket that my mum had chucked out and customised it to make it a bit raggedy by ripping the lining and fraying the seams.  I sewed on clumps of straw and toy mice to give a scarecrow-like feel to the outfit then tied some string around the waist.  I added a straw hat, topped with a stuck on straw bird's nest and toy chick and added a spider dangling from the rim. The outfit was worn over old clothes with the trouser hems cut into zigzags  This outfit has been used time and time again over the last 15 years for the kids for fancy dress parties and Book Days!  Here's a picture of my eldest son Joe (who is now 25) wearing it.

Fast forward to 2010 and Kizzy is wearing the Scarecrow jacket for her World Book day costume! Reusing and recycling at its very best!

Another outfit from when when Kizzy was even littler, I made her a Caveman Dave's 'braver sister Ava' costume.  I butchered a furry cushion cover to make a tabard and accessorised it with cardboard bones in her bunches and a shell necklace.  We cut the bottom of some old leggings to give them a jagged, pre-historic look!  She looked very cute and it was a very easy costume to make.

We have had a lot of fun over the years dressing up for World Book Day.  As a Teaching Assistant I made my class laugh when I dressed up as James and the Giant Peach, using my rather large pregnant belly clad in a bright orange t-shirt as the peach!

Whatever your kids decide to dress up in this year, I hope you all have fun and celebrate the joy of reading!

*Survey results brought to you by fancydressball.co.uk

Dressing Up Ideas for Kids: World Book Day, 6th March

Most children love dressing up.  Many will have a dressing up box, filled with costumes and accessories and will enjoy spending many hours living out scenarios in imaginative games of make believe.  Little boys will enjoy the opportunity and freedom to express themselves and what little girl wouldn't love pretending to be a Pirate Princess in this great girl’s fancy dress outfit from Asda! (Unless of course they would prefer to be a soldier or a Power Ranger...anything goes when playing dressing up!)

While it’s a great game to encourage self expression and practice role play, dressing up is even better when there’s a reason for it. Take World Book Day, for example. Children nationwide will be able to participate in this global celebration of the written word, with many schools asking for the pupils to turn up to class wearing a fancy dress costume of some description, to commemorate their favourite book or comic. This fantastic annual event that has operated since 2007 continues to help promote reading and literature, and the importance of these elements in day to day life.

If your children need a costume for World Book Day, there are plenty of places to look for inspiration. If you’re feeling particularly crafty, you may have time to conjure one up with the magic of a sewing machine, or you could rummage through what they already have for a makeshift outfit. Alternatively, you could take a look at the options that are available in the shops – many of which are superb value, so you don’t have to worry about your purse. Here are some ideas:

Superheroes

If your children love comic books, use this as inspiration for a costume. It’s easy to find an outfit that matches your child's favourite superheroes – Batman, Superman, Spiderman, Thor – you name it, there’ll be a costume to suit. Many superhero costumes can be found in George at a reasonable price.  For example, this Thor outfit complete with hammer is just £12.50.

Princesses

Does your little girl love to read about her favourite fairytale princess? Perhaps she’s a fan of Disney movies and the princesses have inspired her to read about the original characters? Whether it’s Rapunzel, Snow White or Cinderella, princess outfits are an easy choice for girls who love a happy ending.

Wizards

'You’re a wizard, Harry!' You may have introduced the Harry Potter books to your children because you have read them yourself, or your child may have found them on their own, but dressing up as their favourite wizard is a great way for them to give a tip of their wizard hat to the ‘the boy who lived’. Just add a zig zag scar with face paint and they'll be ready for a day at Hogwart's!

I'm heading to Asda at the weekend, to buy a fancy dress costume for Freddy on his first World Book Day at school.  I'll have the camera ready to capture the moment!

On World Book Day, every youngster who is in full time education is given a £1 voucher that can either be used to buy a World Book Day book or used as money off a standard book that the child would like. Take advantage of the opportunity and spend some quality time reading with your child – in full dress up, of course! 

World Book Day with Harper Collins

One of the greatest gifts you can give a young child is a love of reading.  Books open up a whole world of imagination where anything is possible.  They can transport you to magical destinations where you can embark on amazing adventures.  Books can also provide a source of comfort with familiar settings that help make sense of your own experiences.  World Book Day allows us to celebrate the literary world. Schools encourage children to dress up, take part in activities and every child is given a £1 book token to spend on a book of their choice.

Harper Collins has been a publisher of  quality books for over 200 years.   With titles spanning all genres, Harper Collins publish a brilliant range of children's picture books.  We have been lucky enough to receive a bumper bundle of books which my kids have enjoyed pouring through together.  This is what we thought of the titles we received.

Nick Butterworth's gorgeous board books for tiny tots, When We Play Together and When There's Work To Do depict familiar situations to little ones with beautiful illustrations and simple text.  The life of a toddler is brought to life, as Sam plays with his toys and helps out with the chores.  The six toy characters are really appealing and they love joining in with Sam's activities.

They are due for release later in the year and will be priced at £4.99 each.  They are perfect for little hands and are strong and sturdy.

My Henry is a a magical and moving book by Judith Kerr that actually made me sob.  The poignant tale is a celebration of the love between an old lady and her husband Henry who died and is now in Heaven.  Everyday the old lady sits in her chair, but in her mind she is having amazing adventures with Henry such as going on dinosaur rides, climbing Mount Everest or having a tea party in the jungle.

Rhyming text describes the magical adventures and lively illustrations depict the charming imaginings of the widow.  In the end, however, her most exotic daydreams can never quite compare to the real life they shared together before he died.  I adore this book...I'm welling up now as it write this!  It's one to treasure.  It is available now for £6.99.

Up and Down sees the return of Boy and Penguin, characters from Oliver Jeffers hugely successful book Lost and Found.

Penguin decides he wants to fly and goes in search of a way to take to the skies and runs away.  He eventually finds a way to achieve his dream but soon realises that without the boy with him, flying suddenly isn't as important as he had thought.  In fact he is terrified and just wants the boy to help him.

This is a tale of friendship and reaching for your dreams.  It is a heart warming story with great illustrations.

It comes with a CD read by Richard E.Grant and costs £7.99.

The Lorax is another classic from Dr Suess and is about to become a major motion picture at the cinemas, following in the footsteps of The Grinch and Horton Hears a Hoo.  The Lorax is the ultimate eco-warrier and his message is as relevant today as ever. The Lorax tries to save the brightly coloured Truffala trees from the axe of the greedy Once-ler who is getting rich selling Truffula-tuft knitted Thneeds.  His factory is polluting the air, water and land, and he is destroying the forests.

The story is narrated by the greedy Once-ler who gets overcome with greed as his business grows and grows.  He destroys the forest and causes all the creatures to leave.  But by the end he realises the error of his  ways and knows that unless someone cares, things will never get better.  The Lorax was right all along.

The fun, rhyming verse, nonsense words and illustrations are all typically Suess and I am a big fan.  This book is part of a new "Essential Suess" range bringing the wonderful stories to a whole new generation.  The film is due for release in Summer and I'm sure we'll all be going Lorax mad!  The book comes with a CD read by the brilliant Rik Mayall...and is worth every penny of the £7.99 price tag.

The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man by Michael Chabon is bringing comic book heroes to young children.  The big glossy picture book is packed with cool illustrations of this awesome superhero.

His adventures include battling his arch-nemesis The Flaming Eyeball.  When he gets cross he worries about destroying cities.  Awesome Man has a very secret identity and when he retreats back to his Fortress of Awesome, we find out exactly who he is and what it is that makes him feel awesome.

This lovely book would make a great gift for your little superhero and costs £6.99.

These books are all lovely and would make excellent alternatives to Easter Eggs for little ones this year.   My top recommendations would have to be The Lorax and My Henry.  Both very different, but both set to be family favourites, each with their own poignant message.  Remember you can use your child's book token against any children's book and bring home a classic to delight, inspire or entertain your family!

World Book Day...Geek Love

I couldn't let today go uncelebrated on my blog.  So here is an adult book recommendation which ties in terrifyingly well to my entry to Tuesday's Movie Meme .

My favourite book that I have read in recent years has to be Katherine Dunn's Geek Love.  Set in a travelling carnival, Al and his wife Crystal devise an idea to breed their own sideshow oddities using various drugs, poisons and radioactivity to alter the genes of their offspring during Crystal's pregnancies.  The results are Arty the Flipper Boy, Siamese Twins Elly and Iphy, Oly a hunchbacked albino dwarf and Chick born with telekenetic powers.  The children who do not survive are preserved in jars for the public to view.

Oly tells the story of her family and her own life. She recounts her childhood struggles in the circus, where her own deformity wasn't great enough for her to be a star which meant she was forced into menial labour, and her dealing with the Machiavellian Arty who set up his own cult, Arturism, where followers were urged to amputate limbs in an attempt to discover Peace, Isolation and Purity through self-mutilation.  His battle for control over his siblings and his followers was brutal.  He would stop at nothing.

The story of Oly's current life tells of her relationship with Miranda, her daughter (a beautiful striper with a tail that she flaunts at a fetish club) who is unaware of who her parents are.  (Oly's brother Arty is the father, conceived via the telekenetic transportation of his sperm to her egg!)  Oly spies on her daughter and will do anything to protect her.  Her protectiveness reaches a head when Miranda meets Mary Lick, a rich woman who pays attractive women to have disfiguring operations in order for them to achieve their full potential rather than be considered sex objects.  Lick's real motivation is not so honourable and Oly must stop her!

This book is gross, revolting, tragic, shocking and bizarre.  However it is also extraordinarily moving.  Oly's desire for normalcy in her abnormal world is heartbreaking.  It opens our eyes to the struggles and desires present in all of us.  Human experiences transcend physicality.  Oly yearns for love, family, acceptance and protection in an unaccepting world and with an unappreciative family that focuses its attention on her manipulative brother.

This book is emotionally draining but also riveting in its ability to make us care deeply for the central character.  The back story is dark but compelling.  The central theme is the traditional familial desires of Oly in a totally untraditional family.  We can relate to her desires and identify with her struggles although her turmoil is magnified.  We are moved by her.  This is an amazing book and well worth checking out.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Geek-Love-Abacus-Books-Katherine/dp/0349100861