Book Week 2016 - Australia - Story Country

Here’s why….. Most fancy dress costumes, including Book Week costumes for kids and teachers, are designed and manufactured by European or United States based companies! Unfortunately for us Aussies, Australia themed Book Week costumes are not on the top of their list as must-have designs! What does this mean for us? It means we will come across the odd Australia themed Book Week costume, but it also means it’s time to use our imaginations! We have found that many parents are finding the Book Week theme for 2016 quite difficult and are instead opting for more generalised kids costumes for their children. This is perfectly fine! At the end of the day, Book Week is to celebrate books and reading and literature…..Yes there is a theme each year, but the characters our children connect with through reading are so much more and varied – so we think anytime your child wants to dress up as a character they are familiar with, a character that comes with a story, or simply a character that makes them happy and enjoy their day, is beyond good enough for everyone!

If your child says “I want to dress up as my favourite Superhero because it’s Book Week and reading about Superheros is fun” Yes!! Winning!!

If your child says “I want to dress up as my favourite Princess because it’s Book Week and I’ve read books with Princesses in them” Yes!! Winning!!

We have a fabulous range of kids costumes that can be worn as Australia themed Book Week costumes, but also plenty of other boys and girls outfits that can be worn with just as much Aussie pride, encouraging story time, fun and adventure and the joy of reading!

You can browse our full range of Book Week costumes by clicking on the image below!

Now, let’s get creative and see if we can push past the Koala and Kangaroo! I for one, will admit when I heard about the theme, my thoughts went straight to Mem Fox’s Possum Magic as well as Blinky Bill. So we’ve had to dig deep to keep it interesting! Animals are fantastic Book Week costumes and lots of them have been used in stories by Australian authors and can therefore be used for the Australian theme. For example, cats and dogs, sheep, crocodiles, penguins, foxes, great white shark, frogs and more!

There are also plenty of Australian stories involving bushrangers, the most famous of course being Ned Kelly…. But the outfits they wore? So totally cowboy when you really think about it! Grab an old tin out the cupboard, and carry your lunch in your very own Billy Can. Tow along your favourite toy sheep, chuck an Akubra on your head and wear a cowboy costume to turn you into an all-Australian bushranger!

Who were the first Australians? The indigenous people! There’s nothing more reflective of celebrating the stories of Indigenous Australians than some fabulous face and body paint! The need for actual costumes is so minimal in this case, you can absolutely save your pennies and decorate your sons and daughters with traditional Aboriginal dot markings using face paints and crayons… so easy… and so Dreamtime Australian!

We all know who came next! The convicts! Another fantastic Australia Book Week costume theme for kids! There’s plenty of black and white striped convict outfits for boys and girls that will take them back to the days of the first settlers…. Albeit the little bit naughty ones…. Send your child to their Book Week parade in their very own convict costume, a loaf of bread (that hopefully wasn’t stolen!) and don’t forget that super fun novelty ball and chain for their ankles!

Speaking of early settlers…… that’s where the Colonial look comes in! Of course there's Captain Cook and the first fleet, but also girls peasant style dresses and bonnets, or cheeky little pick pocket outfits for boys just like our Oliver themed kids costumes, you’ll have the olden days Australian theme covered. Sovereign Hill in Victoria comes to mind with this one! The era of the Eureka Stockade! If you have any gold fossicking equipment on hand, dust it off, or hula hoops pushed with sticks was also a favourite pastime and will be great to help your kids get into the Australian early settlers theme!

Following on, there’s also Australia themed Book Week costumes to take you back to the 1940’s war time. Kids army themed outfits and specifically designed boys and girls costumes from the 1940’s are all relevant to Australia and are all historically a part of the stories still told today.

So yes, the Book Week theme for 2016 is Australia – Story Country – but to see a group of children dressed as Spiderman, Princess Elsa, a wombat and a pirate – all individually or collectively holding a book and sharing a story…. That’s unity, that’s how books give all walks of life a common ground, and that’s the magic of Book Week.

By Costume Vixen 2016 © Copyright Heaven Costumes Pty Ltd

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