They both said it captures their imaginations — my daughter described the parade as having a “wild” feeling. My son said it made for good conversation starters with other kids, especially when he discovered they liked the same obscure books.

Loading

Doubters say that Book Week dress-ups don’t actually encourage reading, but if it makes books the topic of conversation between the children themselves, that’s powerful.

Some parents complain they are time poor, they’re lousy at craft, and coming up with a costume adds unnecessary pressure to their already stressful lives. But the thing about Book Week is it’s inherently a no-pressure event — yes, truly!

Of course, it’s an obvious outlet for those who enjoy craft or sewing. One of my talented friends once sewed a fabulous centipede costume from Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach. I’ve seen equally impressive creations from papier mache.

Yet it’s also perfectly possible to come up with creative costumes that involve no craft at all. This year my daughter wanted to go as one of the witches from Dahl’s The Witches. We dressed her in old-fashioned ladies’ clothes from Vinnies, white cotton gloves from the $2 shop, used eyeliner to draw enlarged nostrils on her nose, and blue permanent marker to draw blue spittle around her mouth.

There’s also nothing wrong with a low-key approach or varying the effort year to year. You can wear plain clothes and say you’re a character from Diary of a Wimpy Kid or The Babysitter’s Club or a muggle from Harry Potter.

The fact that “easy Book Week costumes” is a popular Google search term with thousands of results is a sign the event is already accessible, not that the event should be cancelled.

I know not everyone comes from a third-generation Book Week family like mine, but there should be no pressure to perform — it’s not the parenting Olympics. Schools mostly do a good job of fostering a fun, non-competitive atmosphere, but if any schools still offer “best dressed” awards, it’s worth asking them to rethink.

I know social media can feed our insecurities, but most people are just enjoying sharing photos of their kids’ costumes, not judging yours.

We don’t stop packing lunches for our kids because a few parenting influencers have Instagram feeds of amazing kids’ lunchboxes. Keeping up with the Joneses is something you can simply choose not to do.

Let’s turn the page on this debate and continue the positive, wholesome tradition of Book Week.

Loading

The Opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up here.