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I'll never forget some of the Book Week moments and costumes worn by my children when they were at school.
Nor will they, as I have the photos to remind them.
They are adults now, but stories about Book Week still get told around the dinner table when we all get together.
For some reason the annual Book Week and parade were a time of great excitement for my children - and great stress for myself.
I was not exactly the creative type and was always relieved when the character my child (any one of them) chose was something I could easily purchase in costume form at a store. Superman, Snow White and Shrek - brilliant options.
Or so I thought.
Until I turned up to watch my son, while in kindergarten, join the parade in his store-bought Batman costume along with about half a dozen others in the same outfit.
Meanwhile, the youngster right behind him in the parade looked a picture of creativity and imagination.
He was dressed as Gilbert Grape and his parents had well and truly thought outside the box as they tied a multitude of purple balloons to his clothes and put a purple swimming hat on his head. Now that was creative!
My Book Week angst began with that first year I had a child at school.
I will note I was creative once and resorted to a swimming cap as part of a costume. That was also accompanied with a Chicago Bulls basketball shirt for the time one of my daughters decided her book hero was Michael Jordan.
I'm not sure which Michael Jordan book she was reading at the time but the only character she wanted to be was the talented sportsman himself. I did my best to meet her expectations and I think I did okay.
Then there was the time my youngest daughter decided she wanted to be Shrek. I gave a sigh of relief for that costume option because I could go to the store and buy it.
However, the group shot of my daughter with all her friends is one that constantly comes out at parties including the photo display for her 21st birthday.
Several little girls looking beautiful as fairies, princesses and the like and there was my little treasure - Shrek (see photo above, my daughter's the one in the Shrek costume). We still laugh about that one and the photo is never far from reach for show and tell among family and friends.
My highlight of the annual Book Week was the book sale held in the school library. My children all loved when I took them to the library to pick out a book that I would buy for them. I loved the bonding time, I think they loved the chance to buy something. Let's face it what child doesn't love a shopping spree for them?
On reflection I am convinced that no primary school year would have been complete without Book Week - or that character parade.
I've recovered from the stress of finding or creating a perfect costume. However, the stories and photos we still share are priceless.
They are also perfect for a 21st birthday photo displays. Who knew that my last minute preparations were actually a plan for the future.
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