World Book Day: Should you dress up for it?

Has your school ditched the costumes for World Book Day?

Many of you will be getting excited about wearing something other than school uniform for World Book Day.

It may involve an elaborate costume complete with props and make up.

Read more: Check out the fantastic World Book Day costumes you've sent us

But some schools in the UK are encouraging their students not to wear fancy dress, but onesies or pyjamas instead.

They say that this is to help their students focus on the main point of the day - books!

We want to know what you think - comment and vote below.

World Book Day: Should the focus be on the reading or on the costumes?

Why pyjamas over a costume?

Although some people might think it's unfair if a school bans fancy dress costumes, there are a few reasons why schools are choosing to do it.

Some are concerned that the focus has become less about reading and more about dressing up. They want students to think about what books inspire them rather than finding or making a good costume.

Other schools say that costumes can often be expensive and difficult to prepare, particularly if families are short on time. Lots of young people already have pyjamaes which they wear to bed, so this can be an easier and cheaper option than fancy dress.

Store bought costumes are also a problem for the environment because they're often made from plastic materials like nylon and may only be worn a couple of times before they're thrown away.

Store bought costumes are often only worn a few times before they're thrown away

Schools opting for having a pyjama day also say that PJs are connected to bedtime, which is the time of day when many of us read or are read to.

Schools hope that this will make life easier for parents and students, as well as making sure that the focus of the day is on the books instead of dressing up.

Any other options?!

Would you dress up a potato for World Book Day?

Some schools are getting super creative and are coming up with unique alternatives to costumes, such as decorating potatoes (yes really!) as their favourite book characters. Others have said students should wear decorated hats.

We want to hear from you about this! Are you wearing a costume or pyjamas to school for World Book Day? Or maybe you're getting creative and doing something a bit different? Do you think World Book Day is now too much about fancy dress rather than reading?