Instill a Love of Reading with Book Day Costumes
Many people like to get in the spirit of World Book Day by wearing Book Day Costumes to their school or other social events. These costumes are popular among students who like to dress up as their favorite characters from their favorite books. This holiday was created by an agency that wished to instill a love of reading in children. They felt that by encouraging children to dress up as characters from books, they would create a bond between the book and the child. The idea is to make reading fun and exciting by allowing children to dress up and display their costumes to one another. These costume days are often coupled with book sales and reading contests.
Traditionally, Book Day Costumes consisted of historical figures from books that children were reading about. For instance, children reading about ancient Rome may dress up in togas and attempt to speak Latin to one another. The school may throw a Saturnalia, where the children will eat while reclining. Children learning about World War II will be encouraged to dress up as soldiers or nurses. Recent developments have had many children dressing up as characters from modern books and fairytales. Wizards are quite popular these days along with witches and warlocks. Comic book characters have also become acceptable costumes on World Book Day. With the advent of the graphic novel, this medium has become recognized as a learning tool and serious literary contender.
There are many different places that offer costumes directed at this educational holiday but it is quite simple to design your own costume. If you have an illustrated book, you can see how the character is depicted and use this as a guide. If the book does not have pictures, you can closely follow the description provided of the character you wish to dress like. Be certain to pay attention to any distinguishing features or details so that people will know who you are supposed to be. For instance, a character that is a farmer may wear overalls and a straw hat. A character that is a policeman may wear a badge and carry a revolver.
The love of reading is a great thing for any child to develop. Reading for pleasure is a joy that can be had throughout life and it is best when children learn to read at an early age. Good readers are better able to educate themselves and learn more quickly. They also remain open to new ideas for longer and are more likely to continue their education throughout their entire lives. Days dedicated to reading such as World Book Day seek to instill this love of reading in children by allowing them to become a part of the action in costume. Dressing up will encourage children to get excited about reading and to read closely. By developing a relationship with the characters in books, children learn to emulate certain values. The tradition of Book Day Costumes is ever evolving and it is interesting to see what the most popular costumes are from year to year.