As a child, I loved dressing up for Book Character Week. I loved books, I loved dressing up, so it was a win-win for me.
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Years later as a parent, I look for that same sense of anticipation and planning in my children as Book Character Week approaches on the school calendar.
“What are you thinking about going as?” I ask my eight year old regularly in the lead-up.
My expectations are high, as he too has developed into an avid reader, even sneaking books into bed after lights out when our backs are turned.
His first year was in kindergarten, so I got my way (Willy Wonka from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) because, well, I am the mum and he was the six year old.
Last year, he dumped Hook at the last minute (took me weeks to get over it) and went as ‘Andy Griffiths” from the popular – and wonderful – Treehouse series. While far from ordinary, externally Griffiths dresses as a normal boy, so there was no need to dress up. Now one year on, I have decided to leave my son to it. After all, an eight year old knows their own mind and while I don’t want to say I have conceded defeat, I have had to admit that it is, after all, his book character parade, not mine.
“I want to go as a storm trooper.’
“What? No! That’s not a book! That’s a movie!”
“It’s both! I have a Star Wars book, and there are storm troopers in it!”
Hmmm. He had a point. But still I persisted, glancing around at his latest library, even that very morning.
“What about Wal from Footrot Flats?” No. No dogs allowed.
“How about Moonface from the Enchanted Forest? Or Professor Stupido? Superfinger? Or..” on I went, until my son finally said:
“But mum. I like books the most where the main characters are just ordinary little boys.”
Well. What could I say to that?
We opted for a compromise and Star Wars won the day. In a commercial dress-up, no less.
In the words of Disney’s fictional Elsa from Frozen (both a movie and subsequent book) I have had to “let it go”. Because after all, like so many schools before it and after it and around it, Nabiac’s recent book character parade may have witnessed an increasingly blurred line between movies and books, but the underlying root of its cause remains the same – the joy of imaginary story lines and the joy of inspiration.
It was a wonderful parade.
