Book Week: A Whimsical Whirlwind (and a Costume Conundrum)

For those of you who are blissfully unaware, or perhaps whose little ones haven’t yet reached the hallowed halls of primary school, let’s talk about Book Week. It sounds innocent enough, right? A whole week dedicated to celebrating the joy of reading! What could possibly go wrong?

Well, like many seemingly simple childhood celebrations, Book Week has a rich history. In Australia, the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) has been running Book Week annually since 1945! That’s right, for over three-quarters of a century, they’ve been promoting quality Australian literature for young people. The main aims are to bring children and books together, celebrate authors and illustrators, and foster a love of reading. Each year, they announce notable books across different categories, culminating in the excitement of Book of the Year awards. You can delve deeper into the history and current initiatives on their official website: https://cbca.org.au/

It’s not just an Aussie thing, either! Many countries have similar initiatives to encourage reading among children. For example:

• In the United States, there’s Children’s Book Week, which is actually twice a year, in May and November, and is run by Every Child a Reader (ECAR) and the Children’s Book Council (CBC): https://www.everychildareader.net/cbw/
• The United Kingdom has World Book Day, a global celebration of books and reading held annually in March, with a big focus on getting books into the hands of children: https://www.worldbookday.com/

So, the underlying message is clear: reading is good! We all agree on that.

Now, where does the “whimsical whirlwind” and “costume conundrum” come in? Ah, that’s where the week culminates for our primary schoolers (and their already-stretched parents).

Whimsical Whirlwind & Costume Conundrum

Since our eldest embarked on his primary school journey, Book Week has taken on a whole new meaning in our household. It’s not that he suddenly becomes a voracious reader during that specific week (though, thankfully, he is starting to enjoy reading independently now, small mercies!). No, the “interesting affair” happens at the grand finale. The Book Week Dress-Up Day.

Yes, you heard that right. On the Friday (or sometimes another designated day), the school transforms into a vibrant parade of literary characters. Every child, from the tiny Preps to the towering Year Sixes, is encouraged to come dressed as their favourite book character. And because it’s a favourite character, as parents, we collectively embark on a frantic mission involving copious amounts of time, questionable amounts of effort, and a surprising amount of money to conjure up the perfect costume and accompanying props. And let me tell you, each year seems to demand a costume that’s somehow more elaborate than the last. It’s a silent, unspoken competition we never signed up for.

What’s truly remarkable is the sheer level of participation. This isn’t some low-key event with a handful of enthusiastic kids. No, it’s a full-on, school-wide extravaganza. The entire student body gets involved, proudly displaying their creative (or store-bought, let’s be honest) interpretations as they do laps of the hall or the playground. It’s a chance for everyone to see and be seen, a literary fashion parade if you will, and once the grand parade is over, the costumes remain for the entire school day.

So, unfortunately for us time-poor and creatively challenged parents, this isn’t an event you can easily sidestep. If your child shows up in their regular school uniform, they will likely feel like the odd one out amidst a sea of Minecraft Creepers, Harry Potters, and Very Hungry Caterpillars. So, the majority of us dutifully engage, with some parents embracing the challenge with gusto and others (like yours truly) approaching it with a mixture of mild panic and a desperate plea for inspiration.

We tend to reside somewhere in the lower-middle of that curve, thankfully. Our son does get genuinely excited about Book Week and enjoys choosing a character, but so far, he hasn’t demanded a costume that requires advanced engineering or a second mortgage. Yet.

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This Year’s Challenge: The Quest for a Shield

So, what was this year’s chosen character? Captain America.

For whatever reason, our six-year-old is a massive superhero fan and an avid reader of comics. Towards the beginning of the year, he could barely read, but after the introduction to comics, his efforts to read have been well rewarded. However, the relentless Marvel advertising machine has certainly done its job. Between the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies, the games, the toys, and the comics he borrows from the library, it’s no surprise he wanted to be a superhero. Honestly, the best way to get a fan for life is to get them early, right?

His choice was a relief though. As luck would have it, we already had a Captain America costume handy from a dress-up party he’d attended a while back. The overalls and mask were ready to go. A clear win! I thought my job was done.

But then, my partner made a suggestion. “He should really have a shield, though.” My heart sank.

Of course. The costume didn’t have the all-important, vibranium shield. And just like that, I was tasked with the glorious mission of procuring one. My first thought was to just buy one. A quick online search revealed plenty of options, but none were particularly cheap, and more importantly, they would take time to arrive. Did I want to risk paying for an overly expensive shield that might not even get here on time? Or should I brave the alternative. A DIY project, armed with my very non-handy skills?

Guess which lucky path we went down?

To my absolute shock, it turns out I’m more capable with cardboard and sticky tape than I gave myself credit for!

The final solution was a work of pure, last-minute-parent genius. We took one of those large plastic plates the kids use, cut out a perfectly sized cardboard circle, and stuck it on top. Then we found a high-resolution printout of Captain America’s shield online, printed it, and glued it to the cardboard and then added a bit more sticky tape for good measure. To finish it off, we duct taped some strings to the back to fashion a handle. Voila! One custom-made, surprisingly sturdy shield was born. Would it be durable enough to block some punches or kicks from the other kids, absolutely not, but hopefully good enough to survive the day!

Honestly, it turned out great. The kid had a blast helping, and he was thrilled with his complete costume. The six year old probably got more joy at participating and helping with the shield creation than the actual costume parade itself. There was a few tense moments, when the over eager six year old hands were getting in the way, but that is how we learn right? Trial and error. Those few mistakes he may have made, will likely help him do much better next time. It is always a learning journey for the young minds. And I had much more fun that I had anticipated as well, so a bit of a win win if you ask me.

Our Book Week Survival Guide

For all you other parents out there, I have no doubt you either have or will be going through your own Book Week fun. Based on our trials by fire, here is a bit of advice for the years to come.

1. It Doesn’t Need to Blow Your Budget Yes, you can buy or rent an elaborate costume, but you don’t have to. A little ingenuity can solve most things. Our Captain America shield is a perfect example, repurposed from materials we already had at home. Keep an eye on your budget and don’t let it run astray. And don’t think for a minute that it is all about the money. Yes, it helps, but honestly you can create a costume out of some old clothes or toys, or whatever you can find around the house. It isn’t really about the money!

2. Improvise and Innovate Look around the house for materials you can reuse. You aren’t aiming for a perfect, movie-accurate costume. We’ll leave that for the professional cosplayers (and yup, its totally a thing!). Sometimes the joy comes from creating something yourself that is simply “good enough.” Be creative, and you might just surprise yourself with what you can come up with.

3. Enjoy the Process with Your Kids More often than not, the journey is just as good as the destination. Involve your child in the costume-making process. Get their ideas and discuss the plan. You’ll be surprised, even at a tender age, they have plenty of their own ideas (some great, some not so great). What matters is that they feel involved. To them, it won’t matter if the costume is a bit wonky. They’ll love it because they were a part of it, and better yet, they now have a story to tell their friends about how they created the costume.

4. Seek Inspiration The internet is a goldmine of inspiration. A quick search on Google or YouTube will reveal countless parents sharing their own costume-making processes and clever ideas. Don’t be afraid to borrow a few and make them your own! And if you are really interested in this kind of stuff, look at what some of the cosplayers get up to and the process they go through to create their costumes. It’s amazing!

5. Remember to Have Fun! Whatever costume you choose, from a low-effort ghost under a bedsheet to a highly elaborate Optimus Prime transformer costume, it doesn’t matter. Just have fun with it. Laugh a little. Book Week isn’t supposed to be a tedious chore. It’s an activity that helps bring you and your child closer together. I must admit, my patience was tested multiple times while making that shield (mostly due to the over eagerness of an impatience of a six year old!), but looking back, it was great fun. And I think the little kid really enjoyed it. He was really proud of the shield.

Share Your Own Book Week Adventures!

This blog is a place for me to capture our whimsical family adventures, mostly as some light-hearted fun. But the real joy comes from building a community of like-minded people who understand the beautiful chaos of being parents.

What are your most memorable, hilarious, or disastrous Book Week costume stories? Do you have any genius DIY tips to share?

Please leave your stories and ideas in the comments below. Let’s embrace the adventure together!