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Friday 8 March 2013

World Book Day 2013

Lily as Milly Molly Mandy from the stories by Joyce Lankester Brisley

World Book Day is always much anticipated as it means the children get to go to school in costume. They are supposed to choose a character from a book, poem or nursery rhyme (though some children in the school seem to disregard this and just come in fancy dress!). This year Lily wanted to be Milly Molly Mandy from the stories of the same name which she loves. Her costume comprised a dress that she has outgrown (the shorter  length therefore being perfect for the costume), a straw hat and bloomers. Bloomers not being the sort of thing we have lying around, I had to whip them up last night from an old sheet. I didn't have a pattern, so I just worked it out as I went along and since Lily was asleep I just had to hope they would fit her in the morning! I was really pleased with how they turned out and Lily had to be persuaded that they weren't suitable as pyjama bottoms at bedtime, so I think she was pleased with them too!

Unfortunately for Lily, nobody seemed to know who Milly Molly Mandy was (which rather surprised me). I guess children don't read classic literature any more! I tend to favour the classics myself and I suppose we impose our taste on our children in the books we choose for them.

Tom agonised over what he was going to be and it was something of a sore subject for days. He finally decided that he wanted to be Fantastic Mr Fox (we are reading it at bedtime at the moment) at 7.45pm the night before he needed the costume. Nothing like plenty of notice! I really only needed to make his ears, but they took a while as there was a fair amount of hand sewing involved. Between the two costumes I didn't get to bed until half one in the morning, but it was well worth it to see the pleasure and excitement they got from dressing up in the fruits of my labours! There isn't much I wouldn't do to make my Podlings happy and sleep deprivation is very much part of motherhood anyway!

Tom as Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr Fox 
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2 comments:

Kate said...

I came across your blog while looking for inspirations for a Milly-Molly-Mandy costume for my daughter for World Book Day this year. I love it! It is so nice to find a blog like yours about a family like yours that is in Englandshire like us and not American! I mostly find my outlook on life is closest to many Americans (homemakers, Christians, Large family (we have four children too), enjoying home-life and the outdoors and educating our children) and it is really nice to know I'm not the only person in England who really loves this role :) Will be visiting your blog more often :)

Paula said...

Thank you for your lovely comment! I'm so glad you enjoy the blog.

Funnily enough I have been spending this evening making a costume for one of my daughters for this year's World Book Day, so it's funny that you should have discovered my blog whilst searching for a costume for yours! I hope you continue to read and comment on the blog and that you have been able to get your daughter's Milly-Molly-Mandy costume finished. The children do so love World Book Day don't they!