Take one very tall year five boy and combine with yet another World Book Day costume hunt and what do you get?
Well, I’m not sure really. I’m seven years in and now have three boys to organise outfits for so the gloss may have worn off just a little. If you feel the same, check out this article which explains why we celebrate World Book Day.
PREVIOUS WORLD BOOK DAY COSTUMES
Our Mr Bump outfit has been an amazing investment having cost a few pounds about seven years ago and he’s still going strong!
Last year we made a very simple stick man costume and pinned the foam leaves to onto brown clothes and hair.
Tom from Beast Quest has also been done. Trainboy was clear about the clothes he needed, but I don’t suppose many people would know who he was meant to be as the costume isn’t very distinctive.
FINDING A WORLD BOOK DAY COSTUME FOR AN OLDER CHILD
But this year we’d pretty much run out of ideas for my ten year old.
No you can’t go as Steve from Minecraft.
Yes I know you have an annual, but I’m not convinced that’s really the type of literary work your school is hoping to celebrate
And then a very welcome message from Jokers’ Masquerade arrived.
Would you like to review one of our costumes?
Yes, YES!
We checked out World Book Day costumes on their website and realised that my eldest boy seems to have reached a funny, in-between size.
We loved the look of the Harry Potter Deluxe Robe but soon discovered that the larger size was only a 7-8.
The Quidditch robe went up to age 8-10 and may have been fine for your average ten year old, but no good for us.
I started to wonder if we might have to try a men’s costume which I suspect would have swamped a lanky boy, but after a fair bit of searching we discovered . .
. . . Robin Hood
This is what came in the packet.
- hoodie with attached vest
- belt with pouch
- gauntlets
- boot covers
We used our own trousers – I think the dark school trousers look fine. We also used an old pair of women’s ankle boots which we happen to have been given for another project. Over these went the boot covers, which are very simple and help make the costume look authentic. We tried putting the covers over black school shoes but they didn’t quite meet, so boots are the best option if available.
It was wonderful to have at least one of this year’s costumes done for me with pretty much just the click of a mouse. The outfit costs £21.99 so I’ll make sure we get plenty of use out of it. Judging by past experience, I’m sure that having been be passed down through all three children, it will still be going strong in 7 years time and the school will be sick of the sight of it! I’m very pleased with our choice.
It also left me with enough time for Bubble and I to focus on this little ragamuffin from Oliver Twist’s Fagin’s Gang!
WOULD YOU BUY A READY MADE COSTUME FOR WORLD BOOK DAY?
I may not end up buying all our future costumes but with everything else I have on my plate, this off the shelf Robin Hood was certainly a very effective and low stress option. I like the idea of letting go of perfection and taking more shortcuts to simplify life as my children grow up.
And yes, despite my complaining it was quite magical to see the children and their teachers dressed up – mainly as characters from books!
Do you like the idea of buying a World Book Day costume or do you feel that it’s a bit of a cheat if you don’t make it yourself?
