In praise of Book Week

August 29, 2017

In praise of Book Week

August 29, 2017

Last week social media was full of Book Week. Friends shared photos of their kids, people on various groups asked for suggestions and shared photos and some lucky grown-ups even got to dress up too. So many posts were positive and fun – even if there was a level of stress and relief that book week comes but once a year.   

But occasionally there would be a post that would make me a little sad – parents complaining that Book Week was an imposition or a waste of time and suggesting their kids would just stay home. I get that not everyone enjoys being crafty but thanks to the internet and the $2 shop, there are loads of options.  I’m not saying it is something everyone has to enjoy but I think it sends a bad message to our kids that they should just skip things that they don’t enjoy or that takes a bit of extra effort. 

Our school reminded parents that Book Week was not about creating lots of extra work. Kids could wear their sports clothes and carry a sports related book. There was no rule that the book had to fit within the theme “Escape to Everywhere” or that movie tie-in books were out. On this, I have to admit to previously pushing my boys toward characters from books (not movies) but when our youngest said  he wanted to go as Yoda this year, I agreed with this post and decided this wasn’t important. He has loads of Star Wars books and he was excited about dressing up – and he is six! .

I love Book Week and always have. We are lucky that even in our small town, we have an amazing cheap shop that stocks everything! We also have a Spotlight close by. I could google patterns for costumes (although this can be dangerous) and the op-shop came in handy. I certainly don’t have the time I had the first year when I made Mr Funny’s shoe car (below) but we’ve still been able to come up with costumes with only minimal swearing and acceptable amounts of wine.

Our first book week in 2014 – just back in Australia and not working. Might have gone a little OTT

I thought about my Mum putting together our costumes every year and she worked wonders! Case in point is the photo below. Mum would have found clothes at the op-shop, and my rapunzel hair was plaited yellow crepe paper attached to a shower cap. I should point out, that the family photo albums provide evidence that my Mum was quite the fan of a dress-up – even if I am scarred by the year her Physical Culture team dressed up as the Seven Dwarves (with their stomachs as the faces…..and no, I am not finding a photo – just use your imagination).

Rapunzel and Mary from Mary May Quite Contrary – circa 1984

I don’t ever remember Mum complaining about book week, although I guess she was pretty happy when we started coming up with our own costumes. I remember going as Erica Yurken from my favourite book Hating Alison Ashley in Year 6 – which I seem to remember simply involved a more daggy (than usual) combination of my own clothes, bad hair and make-up. Come to think of it – probably what my 11 year old self was wearing.

This year I had planned to be extra organised – but the first trip to buy supplies (one Saturday after a rare girls’ night out) was not all that successful. By Wednesday, I realised I had to get moving, just in case anything failed. I had to get Willy Wonka and Yoda sorted. Praise the internet! A pattern for Yoda’s cape and a printable mask and printable Wonka bar wrappers and golden tickets (although the judges returned the Lindt bar bribe!). A $4 ladies dress cut off for Willy’s coat (who cares that I was cutting off the sleeves to fit the morning of the parade). Last year’s top hat, and one of my old wigs and a painted stick for a cane and we were done. Yoda’s original mask was a fail when I stapled it to the dining table (hence the printable mask). The light saber was his blue one wrapped in green crepe paper. The cape wasn’t hemmed but in this scenario done is perfect. The kids loved their costumes and that’s what mattered.

Willy Wonka and Yoda – Book Week 2017

After a week of rubbish weather, it was a lovely morning and we watched all the classes from Reception to Year 7 and the Disability Unit parade around the basketball court. So many great costumes and kids having such a great time. A group of Year 7 girls covered in cotton wool, including one in a bath as the sheep from Where is the Green Sheep? An incredible darlek. Footy and cricket players, princesses, Spidermen, lots of David Walliams and Roald Dahl characters. Old favourite books and some I’d never heard of. This the best bit of Book Week – seeing kids excited about books and . Teachers joined in the fun as Trolls, pirates, Harry Potter and animals. Then 450 kids danced to the theme from Ghostbusters and I’m from the country. Best of all – smiles – lots of them from the kids, their families and the school community – and I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only grown-up plotting excuses for a dress-up party of our own!

Last year’s costumes – boys said no to face paint this year
Angela Pickett

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  • Meredith Hudson August 29, 2017 at 9:44 am

    Thanks for sharing that lovely photo again, dear sister…!

    • angepickett August 29, 2017 at 4:14 pm

      Just wait until I write that blog post on late 80s fashion faux pas!

  • mariemclean September 1, 2017 at 4:43 pm

    I love book week too. Only one more though until both kids are in high school and they come to an end.
    Our school is amazing with their support of the event and kids are not pressured in any way – Disney princess costumes are perfectly acceptable – and families who want to go all out can do that too. Great photos by the way! ?

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