Every parent has had that sinking feeling. The class WhatsApp chat lights up, with mums and dads discussing what they’re going to dress their little ones up as, and you suddenly realise you’ve missed an all-important email from the school.
In celebration of World Book Day on Thursday, schools across the UAE will encourage children to bring in their favourite books, participate in book swaps and dress up as their favourite characters.
Whether you were busy with work or didn’t get round to reading the email, fear not — here are seven quick and easy costumes to prepare.
Tintin
Costume basics: Brown trousers, white shirt and blue jumper
Who is Tintin? Tintin is the creation of Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, who used the pen name Herge. He is a young news reporter who investigates stories and solves crimes along with his trusty sidekick, his dog Snowy.
The star of 14 books, Tintin is a celebrated literary character and Herge’s stories are an ideal way to transition children from picture books to older fiction thanks to their comic strip style.
Elevate the look: Add Tintin's brown shoes and white socks, into which he tucks his trousers. He also carries a brown satchel and is rarely found without his camera, which can be made from a small box and plastic cup. A stuffed white dog teddy will work as Snowy. Oh, and don't forget the hairspray for his famous quiff.
Wednesday Addams
Costume basics: Black dress, black tights, black shoes and hair in plaits
Who is Wednesday Addams? With the success of the recent Netflix show Wednesday, you’d be forgiven for thinking she’s a TV and film character. However, there are plenty of Wednesday Addams books, too.
The youngest daughter of Gomez and Morticia Addams, Wednesday is smart, observant and excellent at problem-solving, making her a great inspiration for young readers.
Elevate the look: Wednesday’s dress traditionally has a pointed white collar, which you can make from material or even paper.
Billionaire Boy
Costume basics: Jeans, white T-shirt, sunglasses, baseball cap and jewellery
Who is Billionaire Boy? Billionaire Boy, aka Joe Spud, is the creation of British comic actor and author, David Walliams.
The 12-year-old lives in a large country house with his rich father and has everything he could ever want in life, except a friend.
When he leaves his posh school to join a local comprehensive, he makes friends with Bob and the pair learn a lesson in friendship and loyalty.
Elevate the look: The cover of Walliams’s book depicts a boy throwing money in the air. Print out some fake bank notes, use Monopoly money or even draw your own and pin them to the T-shirt and jeans.
Paddington Bear
Costume basics: Blue coat, red hat, red boots and a suitcase
Who is Paddington Bear? Named after the London train station where the Brown family find him, Paddington is the creation of British author Michael Bond.
Paddington first appeared in 1958 and has remained an enduring and wholesome family favourite character since, with more than 20 books published and a handful of films released.
Elevate the look: Paddington has a tag attached to his coat which reads: “Please look after this bear, thank you." Make your own oversized tag and swap “this bear” for your little one’s name. Add a marmalade sandwich for lunch.
Where’s Wally?
Costume basics: Red and white striped jumper and matching hat, blue trousers
Who is Wally? Created by the British illustrator Martin Handford, Where’s Wally? (Where’s Waldo? In the United States and Canada) has sold more than 73 million copies and been translated into 26 languages since the first book was published in 1987.
Children, and parents, can hone their observation skills by finding the character in an array of different crowds.
Elevate the look: Wally wears round glasses. If you don’t have any costume ones, draw them onto your child’s face with an eyeliner pencil.
Rapunzel
Costume basics: Princess-style dress, lots of hair
Who is Rapunzel? While the tale of the princess locked up in the tower is almost as old as storytelling itself, the fairytale was first put down on paper in Friedrich Schultz's Kleine Romane in 1790.
It was the Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm, whose Children's and Household Tales, published in 1812 made the tale world famous. Characterised by her very long hair, Rapunzel was locked in a tower by an evil sorceress.
Elevate the look: Many parents have a princess outfit in the dress-up box, which can be adapted to portray Cinderella, Tiana, Belle and more. For Rapunzel, buy some balls of yarn and create a super-long ponytail out of wool.
Thing 1 and Thing 2
Costume basics: Red long-sleeve top and trousers, blue hair
Who are Thing 1 and Thing 2? The naughty, chaos-loving twins sprang from the imagination of American children’s author and cartoonist Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka Dr Seuss.
First appearing in The Cat in the Hat, where they ran riot in Conrad and Sally’s house, they are characterised by the names on their tummies — Thing 1 and Thing 2 — making it an ideal costume idea for twins or siblings.
Elevate the look: The tummy logos are easy to add by pining white paper onto a T-shirt. If you can’t get a light blue wig, spray a white one.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The specs: 2018 Maxus T60
Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder
Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm
Torque: 360Nm @ 1,600 rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.1L / 100km
Selected fixtures
All times UAE
Wednesday
Poland v Portugal 10.45pm
Russia v Sweden 10.45pm
Friday
Belgium v Switzerland 10.45pm
Croatia v England 10.45pm
Saturday
Netherlands v Germany 10.45pm
Rep of Ireland v Denmark 10.45pm
Sunday
Poland v Italy 10.45pm
Monday
Spain v England 10.45pm
Tuesday
France v Germany 10.45pm
Rep of Ireland v Wales 10.45pm
FA Cup fifth round draw
Sheffield Wednesday v Manchester City
Reading/Cardiff City v Sheffield United
Chelsea v Shrewsbury Town/Liverpool
West Bromwich Albion v Newcastle United/Oxford United
Leicester City v Coventry City/Birmingham City
Northampton Town/Derby County v Manchester United
Southampton/Tottenham Hotspur v Norwich City
Portsmouth v Arsenal
Squad
Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas)
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Match info
What: Fifa Club World Cup play-off
Who: Al Ain v Team Wellington
Where: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
When: Wednesday, kick off 7.30pm
IPL 2018 FINAL
Sunrisers Hyderabad 178-6 (20 ovs)
Chennai Super Kings 181-2 (18.3 ovs)
Chennai win by eight wickets
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
FIGHT%20CARD
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
The years Ramadan fell in May
OPENING FIXTURES
Saturday September 12
Crystal Palace v Southampton
Fulham v Arsenal
Liverpool v Leeds United
Tottenham v Everton
West Brom v Leicester
West Ham v Newcastle
Monday September 14
Brighton v Chelsea
Sheffield United v Wolves
To be rescheduled
Burnley v Manchester United
Manchester City v Aston Villa
ARSENAL IN 1977
Feb 05 Arsenal 0-0 Sunderland
Feb 12 Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal
Feb 15 Middlesbrough 3-0 Arsenal
Feb 19 Arsenal 2-3 West Ham
Feb 26 Middlesbrough 4-1 Arsenal (FA Cup)
Mar 01 Everton 2-1 Arsenal
Mar 05 Arsenal 1-4 ipswich
March 08 Arsenal 1-2 West Brom
Mar 12 QPR 2-1 Arsenal
Mar 23 Stoke 1-1 Arsenal
Apr 02 Arsenal 3-0 Leicester
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
How it works
Booklava works on a subscription model. On signing up you receive a free book as part of a 30-day-trial period, after which you pay US$9.99 (Dh36.70) per month to gain access to a library of books and discounts of up to 30 per cent on selected titles. You can cancel your subscription at any time. For more details go to www.booklava.com
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
WandaVision
Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany
Directed by: Matt Shakman
Rating: Four stars
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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1.
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United States
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2.
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China
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3.
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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6.
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Canada
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7.
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Singapore
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8.
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Australia
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9.
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Saudi Arabia
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10.
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South Korea
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The%20Killer
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
