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Home / Tips & ideas / Seasonal / Harry Styles on World Book Day

Harry Styles on World Book Day

March 7, 2013 by Gretta Schifano 6 Comments

kids reading

Three children reading a book. Copyright Gretta Schifano

I wrote this in 2013, when my kids still had to engage in World Book Day at school. I’m truly thankful that they no longer have to do that, as it was always a trial!

So it’s World Book Day and the eldest has gone to school dressed as that classic hero of teenage fiction, Harry Styles. (She was hooking up with Niall and the rest of the band on the train.) She usually goes as a Muggle but this year, in a dramatic move worthy of Lord Voldemort himself, Muggles have been banned.

The transformation into the One Direction singer involved curling her hair and wearing jeans and a white T-Shirt. In order to go to school like this she needed a pound, she told me. I thought World Book Day was meant to be about giving children free books, so I have no idea who the money was for – Simon Cowell, maybe?

The youngest is very literal and was indignant about her outfit: ‘She doesn’t look anything like Harry Styles’, he said, correctly. At least he didn’t have to dress up, which he hates, but he did have to make a book character puppet on a lolly stick. He insisted on making Julia Donaldson’s Stick Man, as he was adamant the puppet should be the same size as the lolly stick which his teacher had given him.

In the spirit of not-reading-books-but-alluding-to-them-vaguely I’m thinking of a different bedtime routine for the youngest today. Instead of reading a book, I think that this evening will be the perfect time for us to go online and start planning our summer trip to Florida. I’ve heard that there are some book characters to be seen there but I’m not sure about The Stick Man or, indeed, One Direction.

 

 

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Related

Categories: Seasonal
Tags: children's books, Harry Styles, One Direction, The Stick Man, World Book Day

About Gretta Schifano

I'm a freelance journalist and blogger specialising in family travel with teenagers, trips when parents manage to travel without their kids, and 50+ travel. I also write about vegetarian travel, parenting teenagers, adoption, SEN, ADHD and anxiety. My work's been published by the Financial Times, Guardian, Independent, National Geographic Traveller, Lonely Planet and others. I've lived and worked in Italy and Spain and am now based in rural south-east England with my husband, adoptive and birth kids and our dog. I previously worked as a social action radio producer for the BBC.

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Comments

  1. Sarah Hill Wheeler says

    March 12, 2013 at 12:52 pm

    I share your lack of enthusiasm for World Book Day, but kind of miss it now J doesn’t have to dress up. I have no idea who Harry Styles is (I’m a Dino) but anything that lets you get away with a T shirt and jeans gets my vote (well, maybe not Simon Cowell).

    Reply
    • Gretta says

      March 12, 2013 at 1:58 pm

      I like the idea behind World Book Day though – that’s great.

      Reply
  2. Jennifer Howze says

    March 7, 2013 at 3:49 pm

    I think reading in any form counts, be it travel planning websites and tools or a leather-bound tome. For years my daughter only wanted to read those DK books on science and the body, all very heavy on pictures. She’s graduated to more text-heavy books but this World Book Day we chose the costume first then picked a book to fit.

    Reply
    • Gretta says

      March 7, 2013 at 5:13 pm

      I agree – my youngest reads he can find anything about football.

      Reply
  3. Trish @ Mum's Gone To says

    March 7, 2013 at 12:06 pm

    I’m always a bit bah humbug about World Book Day. I love the idea and to inspire children to read is a worthy goal, but the dressing-up palaver has always caused a fuss in our house. In an effort to avoid it, my son once went as Charlie Bucket from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, so he could just dress in jeans and a jumper.

    Reply
    • Gretta says

      March 7, 2013 at 1:07 pm

      My youngest will only dress up if he has a proper costume – I’ve bought him a Willy Wonka outfit which he’s agreed to wear for all such occasions until he leaves school.

      Reply

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