Blog 10: World Book Day

Hello writers, readers and other creative types. If any of you are parents or teachers of younger children, you may be aware that last week, on the 6th of March, was World Book Day.

For those of you who may not have encountered this particular celebration, it usually entails primary-school-aged children informing their parents the evening before that they have to go to school dressed up as their favourite character from a book. Chaos then ensues whereby their poor mums and/or dads frantically run around spending the remaining hours before bedtime, combing through the house to make their little darlings look like an Oompa Loompa from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice from Alice in Wonderland or the Witch from Room on the Broom by using only makeup, tinfoil and a black binbag. Okay, that’s an exaggeration. Sometimes we have to manage without the binbag! There are actually some gorgeous costumes available if you do find yourself with the time to purchase them. When my kids were small, they only ever wanted to be cats. I remember my eldest also wanted to go to school in her cat costume on a non-uniform day, saying, “Well, it isn’t my uniform, so it should be allowed!”

Despite the rigmarole of trying to get costumes together in time, dressing up to celebrate a well-loved story is such a sweet idea. And, I’m sure as many students agree, a fantastic excuse to get out of boring lessons. But seriously, what a good way to nurture and express the love felt for the fiction that resonates with them. We all have beloved childhood stories.

A few of mine were some of the old classics, like The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and The Gingerbread Man, which I have adored reading to my own children when they were little, “Run, run as fast as you can, you can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread man.” I also read Matilda by Roald Dahl, The Faraway Tree and the Mallory Towers series by Enid Blyton and I have to say, the Choose Your Own Adventure books by Edward Packard blew my mind. Do you remember those? Written in the second person, you could decide what the character did next, then read it numerous times to get different outcomes! I mean, how amazing is that? Mr Packard was a genius.

If you think back to the books you cherished, you will remember the influence they had. The mischief and magic they held that fired up your imagination and made you want to read more and perhaps write your own. I would wager that many of your beloved tales are still enjoyed by children today and may have even been adapted into film, delighting you again as an adult, and reminding you of your wonderful childhood days. Ahh, do you remember, when life was simpler and we didn’t have to do the housework?

Can you imagine if we had an Adult World Book Day? What stories or characters have connected with you, that would compel you to transform yourself into them? I wonder if you would go back into your past and dress up from the books that began your love of reading. If you’re like me, there may be so many favourites, that you can’t possibly choose. Is there a writer that you follow closely and have begun to create a collection of their books? Have your eyes wandered over to your bookshelf now, longingly glancing towards the row of them sat neatly, waiting for others to join them?

Reading books as children is another form of play that utilises the imagination while aiding personal development. But, as adults, when we read, we are still engaging in play. An excuse to be a child again, woo hoo. I mean, who really needs an excuse anyway? It’s a form of escape (from the housework), to explore something new, live through another person, and do things we would never have the courage or opportunity to do. It isn’t just educational, it’s fun, or it should be. I know for me, it’s a time of relaxation as well as entertainment.

What inspired you to start writing? Was it one of those books from your childhood? Wouldn’t it be amazing if one day, someone thought about your stories and how your work has inspired them to do likewise? Keep writing, reading, and of course editing, and one day, perhaps a child will be going to school dressed up as one of your characters!

Until next time, be good, be creative, and be the writer who never loses that childhood spark.