World Book Day 2023

Hey!

How are you? Hopefully you had a good week. Ours has been OK. The dreaded World Book Day reared it’s head again… and, you’re not gonna believe this but Bubs decided he wanted to go as…

Dog Man.

If you’re unfamiliar with this gem of a character, here you are:

I bet you’re intrigued now, aren’t you? Well, Dog Man came to be because a policeman and his dog were in some kind of accident (it was the first book which is not my favourite so bear with me). Anyway, they get to the hospital and the policeman’s head is no good but his body is fine; the dog’s head is fine, body, not so much. Someone has the bright idea to put the dog’s head on the man’s body and Dog Man is born (strike superhero pose here)! It’s completely ridiculous but isn’t remotely as gruesome as it sounds and the books are quite funny (Lil’ Petey is the best character though. Sorry Dog Man).

Now, last year, I was lacking. I forgot all about Book Day and there were no costumes left at the supermarket. I somehow managed to talk Bubs into wearing normal clothes with his green hoodie and to tell everyone he was Billy from the book Kid Normal… Yes, I know – not my finest hour..!

It was also the year that his friend came to school in a bright green alien costume that inflated (think Violet Bueregard expanding in Charlie and the Chocolate factory – the original movie with Gene Wilder, not that nonsense with Johnny Depp). So, it will go down as one of those parent-fail moments that I’m not going to be allowed to forget but I‘m tough. I can take it.

Now, I had no clue how this costume was going to happen, but Older Miss (OM) insisted she would make this happen for her brother.

‘I just need a box’, she said.

‘I can use this and put ears of the side’, she said.

‘It’s going to be great!’ She said.

Hmmm. Knowing how much revision she had to do and the fact that this was exam week, I asked her: ‘Are you sure you can fit this in?’ This was on Monday.

‘Of course!’ She replied.

On Thursday evening she had made this:

‘I hate it.’ She said. ‘If we let him wear this, his teachers will think he doesn’t have anyone at home who loves him.’

‘But it’s tomorrow!’

OM chucked the Dogman head away from her in disgust. ‘I’m starting again.’

After about 45 minutes of drawing, gluing and sticking, she had a new ‘head’. She was happy. But Bubs was happy with the old one. We would have to wait until the morning to show him…

As you can imagine, Bubs did not take kindly to being told he had a newly improved mask.

‘But I liked the box! It’s not fair!’

‘Just have a look at it.’ I soothed. He looked. OM and I saw the smile twitching at the corner of his mouth. He was convinced.

When Bubs got home from school, we asked him how it went and if everyone liked his costume. He said it was good and yes, people liked it. He continued: ‘I was the only one with an original costume. Mostly all of the girls were princesses and the boys were superheroes.’ He sighed. ‘I think next year, Mummy, you should just buy me a Superman costume.’ He went to his room where the Dogman mask was discarded on his bedroom floor.

I’ve got to go and set a reminder in my phone for sometime in January next year, to purchase a Superman costume…

Have a great week!

Speak soon x