Book Week has wrapped up for 2022. For many authors, this is their busiest week with numerous school visits.
I haven’t had school visits this year, however I have had a couple of Young Writers Groups, and they’re always a lot of fun.
One thing I’ve noticed this year are the number of articles complaining about Book Week, saying it’s hard work for costumes, adding to the workload of parents.
Yes, costumes can be challenging, but that isn’t what Book Week is all about.
Book Week is an annual celebration of books and stories. It’s a time when they are front and centre. At schools I’ve attended, as well as those my kids attended, for the most part, books weren’t important outside the books you study for English. There is more focus on sport, performing arts and academics. There will always be bookworms where books are always at the forefront, however this annual celebration puts books in the centre, in a similar way as the annual sports carnival gets everyone to get involved in a sporting event.
When it comes to costumes, I have a few thoughts on that too:
- there is such a huge variety of books, so there is a costume for everyone
- costumes don’t have to be fancy or expensive, there are so many characters where kids wear ‘normal’ clothes, school uniform, or even pyjamas
- if you have a costume, you’re sure to find a book to fit. Look on the non-fiction shelves, or go beyond the popular books
- kids could even go as a book or bookmark by printing a copy of a cover and pinning it to their shirt
The point of dressing up is to have some fun, and it doesn’t have to be difficult.
Book Week is a wonderful celebration of books and stories, and there’s something special about being able to share stories with young readers.
Here’s to many more years of Book Week celebrations.
If you want a fun book about Book Week, check out The Wildest Book Week Ever by Heath McKenzie.
