Growing a Reader: Kids' Books, Tips and More

Photo courtesy of Toronto Star Photo Archives.

The Costume

You and your child have been invited to a friend’s Halloween party. You walk the aisles of your local costume store looking for just the right costume. Does he want to dress as Pennywise to horrify others? Perhaps he wants to dress up as the Mad Hatter? 

Your child has decided to dress up as Edward Scissorhands. A sweet, innocent and misunderstood character whose lack of human contact leaves him yearning for companionship. You look at the off-the-rack costume in disgust; poorly tailored and cheaply made. You can barely hold your contempt back for something that you could make yourself.

You head home intent on creating a fabulous costume for your child. After sourcing materials and sewing for hours, you’ve created something that would make Johnny Depp and Tim Burton proud. He's now finished!

Get Inspired

If your child is not interested in dressing up as Edward Scissorhands, consider drawing inspiration from the vast array of cartoon characters from some of the amazing novels and picture books in our collection. Cat in the Hat? Harold and the Purple Crayon? Max from Where the Wild Things Are? The possibilities are nearly endless. 

How-To

If you decide to go the route of making a less elaborate costume, here are some books to help you make some simple costumes for kids.