Why we love/hate World Book Day

We are huge fans of books at My First Five Years. There is nothing we love more than curling up with a good story to get lost in, whether reading for our own pleasure or enjoying sharing a book with children. Scroll down to see our 'books for free' suggestions, where we've rounded up the best ways to get reading without having to buy every book!

So why is it that the words “World Book Day” can send us into a tailspin of panic and dread? 

Before I had my own children, I thought World Book Day was a wonderful idea. What could be better than picking a treasured book and dressing your little one as a much-loved character?

I don’t think I had yet been able to imagine time-poor future me, trying to juggle about 50 balls at once and suddenly remembering at the eleventh hour that one of those balls was actually the costume I needed imminently for World Book Day.

I now think World Book Day falls into the ‘impossible to imagine’ parts of parenting, which also include ‘how it actually feels to look after a newborn on no sleep’ and ‘one day, your previously completely unfussy toddler will start to reject vegetables overnight’. 

What we love about World Book Day 

Don’t get me wrong, there is definitely a lot to love about World Book Day. The best bit is talking about books with your little one, reading them together, and imagining worlds where anything is possible.  

It doesn’t matter how young your child is, spending time together with them listening to your voice as you read to them is magic at any age, on any day of the year. 

And we love that spending time thinking about books and characters can really get your creative juices flowing and inspire you to have conversations you otherwise might not. 

My World Book Day highs include a shop-bought Very Hungry Caterpillar outfit from the supermarket (this prompted so much repeated reading of Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar, one of my favourite children's books, is seriously cute, colourful, and easy to wear, wasn’t too pricey, and has become a frequently used dressing-up outfit), dressing my daughter as her namesake from Sophy Henn’s lively Edie (all in clothes and accessories we already had, bonus!), and fashioning a truly terrible tiny kite from foam for my eldest son to take in as Floyd from Oliver Jeffers’ brilliant Stuck (I’m pretty sure no one else there had ever heard of Floyd, his kite, or Stuck, but my son was delighted and loved being able to share this super book with his friends). 

What we don’t love... 

The less-great parts of World Book Day include...

• The pressure to feel like you have to handcraft an outfit from scratch (steer well clear of social media if that is likely to add to the pressure!)
• Not knowing whether your child should dress up at all if they hate dressing up!
• Trying to convince your child to dress up as something other than Spiderman.
• Feeling like you need to spend a small fortune on a costume or props. 
• Oh, and actually getting your child to stick to the character they’ve decided upon – who doesn’t love a last-minute change of plan on the way to nursery? 

No dress up? No problem! 

Sometimes it can feel like World Book Day has become a dress-up competition rather than a celebration of books, but at its heart, it’s about enjoying books and reading.

If your child doesn’t enjoy dressing up, there’s no need to cajole them into it whatsoever. Lots of children don’t like to dress up, and the point of the day isn’t for them to be miserable or uncomfortable. Let them wear whatever makes them happy. 

If your little one likes dressing up, but you’d rather not spend hours making a costume or fork out for a shop-bought outfit, why not see if you can swap with a friend, or buy second-hand?

Local Facebook marketplace sites, eBay and Vinted have plenty of great pre-loved options for children (and not just for World Book Day). And don’t forget, there are plenty of book characters that wear everyday clothes – no dressing up required! 

Books for free

If you’d like something new to read, there are lots of ways to get books that won’t cost you a penny.

Libraries. Not only are libraries packed full of books to borrow at no cost, they’re also great places to meet new people, too. Check out how your local library is marking World Book Day too, as they often have special events for children. 

Swaps and shares. You could see if some of your friends or family would like to do a book swap. It doesn’t need to be forever either, you could simply swap some books for a few weeks so that everyone has something new to read. 

Local free book spaces, like little libraries. You might notice free libraries set up by locals in your area – we've seen these in phone boxes, on canal paths, near post boxes and cafés. Check out Little Free Library to see if there are any free libraries in your area https://littlefreelibrary.org/ 

Embrace your current selection! Sometimes, young children just want to hear their favourite couple of stories time and time again, and this is fine, too, so don’t worry if you’re reading the same stories on repeat. Your little one might enjoy joining in with familiar words or phrases, or acting out the actions. 

Reading for connection 

Part of what makes reading so special is the time you share together doing it.

Whether it’s reading aloud to your baby while they lie next to you, curling up with your toddler on your knee or even with your pre-schooler acting out sounds and actions around you, there are so many different ways to enjoy books together.  

Reading to your child regularly helps you feel more connected right from their first days and provides opportunities for conversations and developing empathy as they grow.

Sharing reading for pleasure with your little one helps them begin a rich, life-long love of reading, which positively impacts their well-being.