It suddenly seems fashionable for parents to express their loathing for Book Week. If that’s the case, I am happy to be out of step with the times.
The author as a child dressed as The Man for Snowy River, pictured with her little cousin.
I adore Book Week. I love the costumes, the chance to think creatively, and the positive connection to books that is surely more important than ever in today’s digital world.
Book Week is a tradition that dates to 1945, allowing my kids a rare taste of my childhood from the 1980s and my parents’ childhood from the 1950s and 1960s. If they can’t roam around on their BMX bikes until the sun sets like I did, at least there’s still Book Week.
If your child’s chance to dress up as a character from a book is not your thing, that’s fine. But if you actively hate it, you’re probably doing it wrong.
The author dressed as Mary Poppins for Book Week in year 4.
Some of my most vivid memories from my own school days are of dressing up for Book Week. I was everything from Mary Poppins with a long formal coat and an umbrella, to the Man from Snowy River with a check shirt, jeans, boots and a borrowed cowboy hat.
My mum still remembers wearing her nana’s nightie to dress as Wendy from Peter Pan circa 1960, while my aunty held the hook from the Kenwood mixer to go as Captain Hook.
It’s not about getting out of uniform. I assure you that I don’t remember what I wore on a random mufti day in Year 4.
I asked my 11-year-old twins what they thought of Book Week — they are in year 6, so their recent parade was probably their last.
They both said it captures their imaginations — my daughter described the parade as having a “wild” feeling. My son also said it made for good conversation starters with other kids, especially when he discovered that they both like the same obscure books.
Doubters say that Book Week dress-ups don’t actually encourage reading, but if it makes books the topic of conversation between the children themselves, that’s powerful.
Some parents complain they are time poor, they’re lousy at craft, and coming up with a costume adds unnecessary pressure to their already stressful lives. But the thing about Book Week is it’s inherently a no-pressure event — yes, truly!
Of course, it’s an obvious outlet for those who enjoy craft or sewing. One of my talented friends once sewed a fabulous centipede costume from Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach. I’ve seen equally impressive creations from papier mache.
Yet it’s also perfectly possible to come up with creative costumes that involve no craft at all. This year my daughter wanted to go as one of the witches from Dahl’s The Witches. We dressed her in old-fashioned ladies’ clothes from Vinnies, white cotton gloves from the $2 shop, used eyeliner to draw enlarged nostrils on her nose, and blue permanent marker to draw blue spittle around her mouth.
There’s also nothing wrong with a low-key approach or varying the effort year to year. You can wear plain clothes and say you’re a character from Diary of a Wimpy Kid or The Babysitter’s Club or a muggle from Harry Potter.
The fact that “easy Book Week costumes” is a popular Google search term with thousands of results is a sign the event is already accessible, not that the event should be cancelled.
I know not everyone comes from a third-generation Book Week family like mine, but there should be no pressure to perform — it’s not the parenting Olympics. Schools mostly do a good job of fostering a fun, non-competitive atmosphere, but if any schools still offer “best dressed” awards, it’s worth asking them to rethink.
I know social media can feed our insecurities, but most people are just enjoying sharing photos of their kids’ costumes, not judging yours.
We don’t stop packing lunches for our kids because a few parenting influencers have Instagram feeds of amazing kids’ lunchboxes. Keeping up with the Joneses is something you can simply choose not to do.
Let’s turn the page on this debate and continue the positive, wholesome tradition of Book Week.
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