Swindon schoolchildren dress up for World Book Day (From Swindon Advertiser)

Swindon schoolchildren dress up for World Book Day

5:14pm Thursday 7th March 2013 in News By David Wiles

PETER Pan, Stig of the Dump and Mary Poppins came to school as creative children and teachers dressed up as their favourite characters for World Book Day.

At Tregoze Primary School, in Grange Park, yesterday’s event was celebrated throughout the week, where each class was given a book around which to base activities, such as writing a description of the characters and writing their own endings.

The youngsters and teachers dressed up yesterday, and staff also performed the play Peter Pan during a special assembly.

Claire Bowen, the assistant principal of the school, which is part of the White Horse Federation, said it was a good way to encourage love of books and reading.

She said: “They’ve enjoyed dressing up. When they came in first thing this morning, there was such an excitement seeing what their friends had come as. Some of them had kept it secret from their friends. Some of them just look amazing.”

At King William Street Primary School, in Old Town, each class explored a different library book as well as dressing up. The books were Where the Wild Things Are, Hand of Surprise and Not Now Bernard.

Headteacher Margaret Clarke said: “The best bit is the opportunity for children to really get into a book.”

And pupils at Nova Hreod College enjoyed a visit from Joffre White, a children’s author and member of the National Association of Writers in Education.