Countdown! Book Week is nearly upon us. Join Felicity for some timely advice to keep this special week focused on favourite books and having fun. No stress allowed!
Each year as Children’s Book Week nears (on Friday August 15 the winners are announced, with celebrations traditionally held in the following week), I fight the urge to become a keyboard warrior. Social media posts are flooded with photos of the carefully curated outfits parents have made for their child. Other posts are filled with despair from busy parents with no time to curate an outfit. When did the outfit and book selection fall so heavily in the parent domain? I think fondly of my own children heading to the dress up box, and drawing together an outfit from the resources available, with far more ingenuity and creativity than I could ever muster. My urge is to type – leave the outfit to your child. Far more important than the costume is the book that inspired it. Let’s chat about that.
What is it about the character in the book that inspires a child to want to dress up? It may be as simple as that the character is beautiful, has beautiful clothes, lives in a palace, sleeps in a four poster bed, rides horses, speaks with animals, has adventures or can do magic. Any of these traits can provide an opportunity for a child to compare their world and experiences with the world and experiences of the fictional character, and to ‘try these on’ for one day.
Books not only allow us to experience other worlds and meet people who are nothing like us, but also create a lasting emotional response to the experience. Glancing at a title of a book on my bookshelf, as I go about my daily activities, I’m immediately transported to memories of the characters, the events, and my response to that title – all in an instant. If I had not read that book, at some time in my past, I would probably just notice that the shelf could do to be dusted. Instead, I can ignore the dust and make a promise to myself that the title will get re-read soon.
So this Children’s Book Week, please take the time to chat with a child about the story that has inspired them to dress up, share with them a memory of a favourite story from your past, and re-read a favourite book together.
And the titles that caught my eye as I walked past my bookshelf this week, and that I have promised myself (and them) a re-read soon? Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian and The Ghost of Thomas Kempe by Penelope Lively.
Felicity Sly is a retired teacher-librarian and CBCA committee member.
Editor’s note: Both of Felicity’s treasured books have had many print runs and different covers. The images displayed include both the original and more recent versions.
Check out the following site for inspiration on how to keep dressing up both simple and fun! https://madisonslibrary.com/2021/08/01/book-week-easy-costume-ideas-from-things-in-your-wardrobe/
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