Every year in the days leading up to World Book Day my kids get geared up to get dressed up as their favourite characters. In our house, there are conversations about Harry Potter, Peter Pan, Cinderella, the Cat in the Hat, Willy Wonka, Wally and Stickman. There is laughter among my girls over how they could get a Mr Stink costume to work and some scheming to try and convince their younger brother to wear one of his sister’s dresses so he could be The Boy in the Dress. Wigs are pulled out; ‘we could be Thing 1 and Thing 2!’ and books are pulled off the shelf to hatch their plans.
Every year it occurs to me how important these characters are to my kids. These books, these characters, have impacted them in such a profound way that they will carry them in their imaginations for the rest of their lives…I look back on the characters that are still with me: Anne of Green Gables, Nancy Drew, Anne Frank to name a but a few.
World Book Day is a great opportunity to recognise the importance of reading and to acknowledge the characters that have escaped the printed pages and have occupied our imaginations, live in our memories and have become part of who we are. This year at Stanhope Barrington we will be celebrating World Book Day on 2 March (even though the official day is 1 March).
What are your plans this year?
To find out more about World Book Day and to get tips on reading, please visit their website.
