The Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Book Week theme for this year is “Reading is Magic.” Held from 17th to 23 August 2024, this annual event is a celebration of reading and learning for our little ones.
If you struggle to find the right books for your kids to read, you are in luck. The Children’s Book Council of Australia has released a Notable Book of the Year Children’s Books list. This story guide will help you find the very best books to share with your young readers from early childhood to young adulthood. You can find the list here.
In The Cove loves book week! We especially love sustainable costumes. You can read about our “8 Tips on a Sustainable Book Week Costume” here.
One of our favourite sustainable costumes (and one of the easiest to make) are cardboard/paper costumes.
Here are some examples of sustainable costumes we found to inspire you:
In My Heart – costume made with cardboard and coloured (crayoned) hearts.
A Very Hungry Caterpillar made from cardboard and string.
No One Likes A Fart costumes are easily made with either cardboard or fabric.
Dr Seuss’ “One Fish, Two Fish, red Fish, Blue Fish” is an easy costume you can make with a yellow shirt/dress. You can find one at an Op Shop if you don’t have one already. Instead of plastic eyes, opt for simply drawing eyes and gluing them one.
Where is the Green Sheep? A thick black marker or paintbrush, green cardboard or paint and some cotton cord is all you need to whip up the popular character from Mex Fox.
Sustainability
Keep in mind that costumes are usually only worn once so avoid buying costumes that are made from plastic, polyester, nylon etc. and to source eco-friendly options. You can also borrow costumes from friends. There is also a great selection of yarns, fabrics and haberdashery/craft materials in Lifeline on Burns Bay Rd.
Reusing or recycling your costume for Halloween is also a great way to save money and to be sustainable. We’ve heard of a local mum who used her black skirt as a cape from her son.
Sven from Frozen was created reusing packaging material, masking tape, brown clothes we already owned, a brown paper nose and reindeer ears from our Christmas box wrapped in masking tape.
Most of this Optimus Prime costume was made with boxes, paper and coloured cardboard. We added an aluminum sword, and an aluminum Matrix of Leadership inside the windows of the truck’s body.
So make it a stress-free book week with some cardboard and a marker pen.
