World Book Day is on Thursday 2 March in 2023, although many schools and nurseries may decide to celebrate it on Friday 3 March to round the school week off with some costumed fun. If you’re looking for easy, last-minute World Book Day costumes that are simple to put together but look fantastic, we’ve got a great selection for you right here.

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Our no-sew costumes can be made using things you'll probably already have at home (or could quickly order online). We've even included ideas for re-purposing costumes you may already have – including pirate, witch and skeleton outfits, fairy and ballerina costumes and princess dresses.

And, of course, if your child really doesn't like dressing up, there are plenty of ideas for 'costumes' where the main character in the book wears regular, everyday clothes – so all your child will need to do is hold a prop or maybe just brandish a copy of the book.

For each of our World Book Day costume ideas, we've listed out what you'll need to create it, including props and clothes (and a link to buy the book, if you don't have it already). Plus, where we can, we’ve included a pic of a child in the costume, as shared by one of the brilliant parents in our Facebook community, so you can get an idea of the finished 'look' you're after.

Here's our pick of easy, last-minute World Book Day Costume ideas you can put together super-quick...

1. Paddington

Paddington Costume for World Book Day

What you'll need:

  • Red hat
  • Blue coat or blue clothes
  • Red socks
  • Suitcase (optional)

Buy Paddington

2. Supertato

Superato costume for World Book Day
Pic: Tasha S

What you'll need:

  • Black belt with cardboard S stuck on the buckle
  • Brown clothes
  • Mask (band of black paper with eye holes cut out)
  • Red material/shirt for cape
  • Play veg

Buy Supertato

3. Charlie Bucket's Golden Ticket

Charlie and the chocolate factory golden ticket world book day costume idea
Pic: Karen Hughes

What you’ll need:

  • An old pillowcase
  • Gold paint (or pick a yellow pillowcase!)
  • Fabric/maker pen for writing words

Buy Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

4. Gangsta Granny

geandma
Pic: Beckie C

What you'll need:

  • Bandit eye mask (or paint one on with black face paint). Or glasses – see our downloadable step-by-step instructions
  • ‘Granny style’ blouse or cardy (do you have one?)
  • Black skirt
  • Old slippers
  • Tights that are too big, so they can wrinkle around the ankles
  • Sack-style bag filled with scrumpled up paper (so it’s not too heavy)
  • (If you're feeling creative) A granny wig – see our downloadable step-by-step instructions

Buy Gangsta Granny

5. Mr Twit from The Twits

twit66
Pic: Francesca M

What you'll need:

  • A fake beard (buy one online or make one with dark brown wool)
  • Dark, messy clothes
  • A paintbrush and pot

Buy The Twits

6. Burglar Bill

Burglar Bill costume idea for World Book day
Pic: Jenny BW

What you'll need:

  • Stripey jumper
  • Flat cap
  • Bandit eye mask (often comes with superhero costume) or draw one on with face paint
  • Swag bag filled with crumpled-up paper (or cuddly toy!)

Buy Burglar Bill

7. Alice in Wonderland

wonder
Pic: Helen T

What you'll need:

  • Blue dress
  • White apron/pinny
  • Hair bow

Rather be the Mad Hatter? You can find a range of ready-made Alice in Wonderland-themed costumes for kids of varying ages on FancyDress.com.

Buy Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

8. Sparkle Boy

sparkle boy world book day costume idea
Pic: Sammy Kate Maggs

What you’ll need:

  • Tutu
  • Top and jeans
  • Bead necklace
  • Sparkly nail varnish

Buy Sparkle Boy

9. Mr Bump

mr bump costume for word book day
Pic: Millie Pike

What you'll need:

  • Blue top and trousers
  • Bandage (if you have one) or toilet roll (if you don’t) to wind around your child’s head and middle

Buy Mr Bump

10. Wednesday Addams from The Addams Family

Wednesday Addams
Pic: Fay Rebecca

What you'll need:

  • A dark dress
  • A white collar — use a school shirt underneath the dress
  • Black tights
  • Black shoes or boots
  • Black lipstick or face paint (optional)

Buy The Addams Family: Story of the Movie

11. Peter Rabbit

bunnyears
Pic: Rebekah C

What you'll need:

  • Blue jacket
  • Brown trousers
  • Face paint or eyebrow pencil – to draw on bunny whiskers
  • Bunny ears – made with cardboard and taped to a headband
  • Bag of carrots (optional)

Buy The Complete Adventures of Peter Rabbit

12. Wally from Where's Wally?

where's wally costume for world book day
Pics: Sammie S and Tenisha McDonald

What you'll need:

  • Stripey hat
  • Stripey top
  • Stripey socks or tights – if you have them
  • Round glasses – use the downloadable glasses template from the Gangsta Granny costume, above, and colour them black

Buy Where's Wally?

13. Harry Potter/Hermione Granger

harry potter and hermione costumes for world book day
Pic: Anna Dilku

What you'll need:

  • Black cape (often comes with Halloween dressing-up costumes)
  • White shirt
  • Normal school trousers/skirt, stick (for a wand)
  • Stripey tie or scarf
  • For Harry only: glasses – use the downloadable glasses template from the Gangsta Granny costume, above, and colour them black
  • For Harry only: red face paint or lip pencil to draw on his forehead scar

Want to add Hedwig or a broomstick? We've 20 more Harry Potter costume ideas for kids

Buy Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

14. Tracy Beaker

traceybeaker3
Pic: Josie L

What you'll need:

  • Red stripey top
  • Messy dark hair (use washable spray-on hair dye or a wig, if your child's hair isn't the right colour)
  • Sleeveless denim jacket (optional)

Buy The Story of Tracy Beaker

15. The Snail and the Whale

the snail and the whale costume for world book day
Pic: Abi Fields

What you'll need:

  • Black T-shirt
  • White fabric paint (to draw on the snail trail message)
  • Toy snail (to glue or pin onto the shoulder of the T-shirt)
  • Stuffed whale toy (optional)

Buy The Snail and the Whale

16. Witch from Room on the Broom

Room on the Broom
Pic: Amy Townsend

What you'll need:

  • Red top
  • Dark coloured trousers or skirt
  • Black cape
  • Witch's hat and broomstick, if you have them
  • Wand made from yellow card on a stick
  • Toy cat (optional)

Buy Room on the Broom

Got a witch costume? Here are some more witch ideas...

17. The Worst Witch: add a toy cat and a (messy) broomstick

18.  The Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz: accessorise with green face paint and an evil cackle

19. The cover star of That's Not My...Witch: she has green hair, if you fancy having a go with some washable, spray-on hair dye.

20. The witch from The Witch's Vaccuum Cleaner: as long as your Hoover doesn't weigh a ton!

21. Madame Olympia from Which Witch?: add a spot of make-up to get her super-glam look

Pic: Tara B

22. Happy Birthday, Blue Kangaroo

Blue Kangaroo costume idea for World Book Day
Pic: Katie O

What you'll need:

  • Pink clothes
  • Pink ribbon in hair
  • Blue kangaroo toy (optional)

Buy Happy Birthday, Blue Kangaroo

23. Billionaire Boy

boy
Pic: Katie D

What you'll need:

  • Grey trousers
  • Big white top
  • A wallet full of money (make fake notes with paper or use Monopoly money)

Buy Billionaire Boy

24. Aliens Love Underpants

alienslove
Pic: Sharon D

What you'll need:

  • Underpants worn over trousers
  • Alien antennae or headband (optional)

Buy Aliens Love Underpants

25. Mr Bean

bean

What you'll need:

  • Grey or black school trousers
  • Tweed blazer
  • White shirt
  • Tie, preferably red

Buy Mr Bean: A Day at the Beach

26. The white mouse from the 'That's Not My...' book series...

teddy

What you'll need:

  • White cardie and trousers OR white onesie
  • White paper ears – attach them to a headband

Buy That's not My... books

27. The Cat In The Hat

aat
Pic: Vicky W

What you'll need:

  • Black leggings
  • Black T-shirt
  • White gloves
  • Red scarf
  • Stripey hat – you can make this using a tube of white card and then adding a rim and painting on red stripes
  • Whiskers – drawn on with an eye pencil or face paints

Want something even easier? Try this ready-made Cat in the Hat costume. We love the cute tail!

Buy The Cat in the Hat

28. The Man on the Moon (A Day in the Life of Bob)

the man on the moon world book day costume
Pic: Wendy Davis

What you'll need:

  • White onesie (you can get astronaut-themed ones online)
  • Blow-up alien

Buy The Man on the Moon

29. Noddy

noddy world book day costume idea
Pic: Lydia Gough

What you'll need:

  • Red top
  • Blue shorts and socks
  • Yellow fabric to knot around the neck
  • Blue bobble hat (or you can make a more pointy blue felt hat)
  • Red cheeks – use blusher or red face paint

Buy Noddy: Toyland Detective

30. Interstellar Cinderella

interstellar cinderella costume idea for world book day
Pic: Annika B

What you'll need:

  • Cardboard box ‘jetpack’
  • A tool (eg toy spanner) or tool box
  • Goggles
  • Ordinary clothes

Buy Interstellar Cinderella

31. Jack and the Beanstalk

Picture of child dressed up as Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk for World Book Day
Pic: Honor Bentley

What you'll need:

  • Shirt
  • Light brown trousers
  • Crown (optional)
  • Beanstalk made from a painted cardboard tube and green leaves cut out of cardboard

Buy Jack and the Beanstalk

32. George’s Marvellous Medicine

George's marvellous medicine costume idea for world book day
Pic: Kimberley A

What you'll need:

  • Red top
  • Spoon covered in tin foil
  • Old shampoo bottle with ‘George’s Marvellous Medicine’ label

Buy George’s Marvellous Medicine

33. Willie from Goodnight Mister Tom

goodnight mr tom world book day costume
Pic: Getty

What you'll need:

  • Flat cap
  • Dark coat or plain-coloured sweater
  • Small box (Willie's gas mask box) tied with string to hang from your child's shoulder (optional)

Buy Goodnight Mister Tom

34. Morrigan Crow from the Nevermoor series

morrigan crow world book day costume
Pic: Emma Andrews

What you'll need:

  • Black dress or skirt and top
  • Red hairband
  • Black boots
  • Umbrella

Buy Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow

35. Harry from Harry and His Bucketful of Dinosaurs

harrybucket
Pic: Getty

What you'll need:

  • Small bucket containing toy dinosaurs

Buy Harry & His Bucketful of Dinosaurs

36. Matilda

Matilda
Pic: Abi Walker

What you'll need:

  • A dress, preferably blue
  • White cardigan (optional)
  • Red hair ribbon (if possible)
  • White socks
  • Black shoes
  • Small pile of books

Want to go a bit further with your Matilda costume ideas? We've some good suggestions

Buy Matilda

37. The Very Hungry Caterpillar

caterpillar
Pic: Stacey G

What you'll need:

  • Green card and red card
  • Sparkly green paper to decorate
  • String
  • Feathers

Buy The Very Hungry Caterpillar

38. The Very Hungry Caterpillar – part two

very hungry caterpillar costume idea for world book day

What you'll need:

  • An old sheet, painted in butterfly colours
  • Ordinary clothes
  • Butterfly eye mask (optional)

Buy The Very Hungry Caterpillar

39. One of the Ten Little Pirates

10 little pirates world book day costume idea
Pic: Joanne Hellowell

What you’ll need:

  • Stripey T-shirt
  • Jeans
  • Pirate hat made from cardboard or a bandana

Buy 10 Little Pirates

More pirate costume ideas

If you've got a pirate outfit, your child could dress up as:

40. Captain Hook from Peter Pan: you can get cheap hooks from online fancy dress shops

41. One of the pirates from Pirates Love Underpants: just remember the underpants, too! 

42. One of the girl pirates from The Night Pirates

Pic: Getty

43. Snow White

snow white world book day costume idea
Pic: Getty

What you'll need:

  • A white shirt
  • A long skirt
  • Blue hair ribbon
  • A red apple

Buy Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

44. Jonah And The Whale

jonahandthewhale
Pic: Alison L

What you'll need:

  • Wig and beard wig – or lots of brown wool
  • A white sheet or white T-sheet and trousers
  • A large scarf – to make a sash
  • A whale, made out of a large drinks bottle with googly eyes and big flappy cardboard tail and fins

Read Jonah and the Whale

45. Daddy Fox from Fox And The Ghost Hunt King

foxxyy
Pic: Magda I

What you'll need:

  • Red hoodie
  • Plain or white T-shirt
  • Some cardboard, paint, scissors and string – for the mask
  • A fox soft toy, if you've got one

Buy The Fox and the Ghost King

46. An English dictionary

dictionary world book day costume idea
Pic: Gabrielle Marie

What you'll need:

  • Old T-shirt
  • Old leggings
  • Fabric/marker pen for writing words

Buy Oxford English Dictionary

47. A Welsh dictionary

welshdictionary
Pic: Vicky L

What you'll need:

  • Large piece of folded card or a cardboard box with 1 side removed
  • Coloured pens todecorate it with words from the dictionary (it doesn't have to be a Welsh one!)

Buy the Welsh-English Picture Dictionary for Children

48. Riley from Riley Can Be Anything

Riley costume idea for world book day
Pic: Getty

What you'll need:

  • School blazer or jacket
  • White shirt
  • Tie

Buy Riley Can Be Anything

49. A Smed or a Smoo

The Smeds and the Smoos
Pic: Louise Chubs

What you'll need:

  • Red or blue clothes
  • Red or blue face paint
  • Green wig or washable, spray-on hair dye (optional)
  • A paper cup — paint it red or blue, cut the bottom out and attach to string

Buy The Smeds and The Smoos

50. Charlie Bucket from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

charlie and the chocolate factory world book day costume
Pic Getty

What you'll need:

  • Scruffy clothes or just a sleeveless vest
  • A golden ticket – just colour some card yellow

Buy Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

51. Mog

Mog the cat World Book Day costume idea
Pic: Jen Conway

What you'll need:

  • Grey top and leggings
  • Grey or white socks
  • Hairband with grey cardboard cat ears
  • Grey scarf tied round waist for a tail

Buy: Mog the Forgetful Cat

52. The Boy In The Dress

boyindressfinal
Pic: Getty

What you'll need:

  • A dress
  • A football

Buy The Boy in the Dress

53. A Roman from Rotten Romans

roman toga world book day costume
Pic: Getty

What you'll need:

  • A white sheet, wrapped like a toga (check out this WikiHow). And do put something under it, like a long-sleeved top and leggings, or it could get chilly!

Buy Rotten Romans

54. Pippi Longstocking

pippi longstocking costume for world book day
Pic: Terence

What you'll need:

  • Blue dress or dungarees
  • Red T-shirt or bits of fabric, glued on like patches
  • Stripey tights
  • Hair in piglet plaits – you can plait in some thin, bendy wire to make them really stick out sideways

Buy Pippi Longstocking Goes Abroad

55. Percy the Park Keeper

Percy the Park Keeper in The Rescue Party
Pic: Jenna Hutcheon

What you'll need:

  • Green cap
  • Green jumper or shirt
  • Stripy braces
  • Light coloured trousers
  • Wellington boots

Buy The Rescue Party (one of our favouites from the bestselling Percy the Park Keeper series)

56. Thing 1 and/or Thing 2 from The Cat In The Hat

thing one and thing two costume idea for World Book Day
Pic: Kimberley A

This is a great one for twins, siblings or friends...

What you'll need:

  • Red/orange T-shirt and leggings
  • White card – on which you can write 'Thing 1' or 'Thing 2' and then pin it on the T-shirt
  • Blue wig or washable, spray-on hair dye (optional)

Buy The Cat in the Hat

Child with red hair?

Then your child could dress up as:

57. Ron Wealsey from the Harry Potter books: wear school uniform, with stripy tie

58. Tintin: gel hair up into a quiff and accessorise with a white toy dog, if you have one 

59. Anne of Green Gables: wear a straw hat and a pinafore

60. Annie: wear a red dress and smile a lot!

61. Nancy Drew: carry your detective's notebook

62. Freckleface Strawberry: put hair in low pigtails and make freckles (if your child doesn't have them already) with an eyebrow pencil

Pic: Getty

63. Oi Frog

girl dressed up as Oi Frog for World Book Day
Pic: Fiona J

What you'll need:

  • Green top
  • Green skirt and tights or green trousers
  • Green frog mask or hat made of cardboard

Buy Oi Frog!

64. Dr Alan Grant from Jurassic Park

boy dressed up as Dr Alan Grant from Jurassic Park for World Book Day
Pic: Lauren B

What you'll need:

  • Beige trousers
  • Denim or blue shirt
  • Red neck scarf
  • Sunglasses
  • Hat
  • ID pass (optional) made from card and sticky-backed plastic

Buy Jurassic Park

65. Percy Jackson

percy Jackson world book day idea
Pic: Getty

What you'll need:

  • Ordinary clothes
  • Sword made out of cardboard
  • Shield made out of cardboard – you could download this shield template from the World Book Day site.

Buy Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters

66. Mollie from The Wishing Chair

chair
Pics: Getty

What you'll need:

There are (at least) 2 options here because different editions of the book have different outfits for Mollie...

  • Blue and white stripy T-shirt with blue denim dungarees OR
  • Orange spotty dress

Buy The Wishing Chair Collection

67. One of The Midnight Gang

the midnight gang world book day costume idea
Pic: Getty

What you'll need:

  • PJs
  • Pillow
  • Balloon (optional)

Buy The Midnight Gang

Got fairy wings?

Then your child could dress up as:

68. Tinkerbell from Peter Pan: in a green dress, if you want to channel the Disney Tinkerbell

69. Puck from A Midsummer Night's Dream: accessorise with a mischievous grin

70. The Blue Fairy from Pinocchio: in a blue dress, obvs

71. The Wicked Fairy from Sleeping Beauty: wear black

72. Angelina Sprocket

angelina sprocket costume for world book day
Pic: Maria Hackett

What you'll need:

  • Pink dressing gown or adult shirt
  • Patches of different coloured material or paper to glue onto dressing gown/shirt as pockets
  • Bobbles to put hair in 3 bunches
  • Glasses
  • Cheese grater (optional)

Buy Angelina Sprocket's Pockets

73. Angelina Ballerina

Angelina ballerina world book day costume idea
Pic: Jourdaine Price

What you'll need:

  • Ballet costume or tutu and pink T-shirt
  • Pink cardigan
  • Mouse mask or just fingerpaint mouse whiskers

Buy Angelina Ballerina

74. Biff from Dogs Don't Do Ballet

Biff from Dogs Don't Do Ballet
Pic: Katey Leader

What you'll need:

  • Ballet costume or tutu and pink t-shirt
  • White or pink tights
  • Black and white face paint
  • Add cardboard puppy ears on a headband (optional)

Buy Dogs Don't Do Ballet

More tutu costume ideas:

Then your child could dress up as:

75. The Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker

76. Delphie from the Magic Ballerina books: carry some ballet shoes, if you have them, and tell everyone they're magic

Pic: Getty

77. Queen of Hearts

Red Queen World Book Day costume idea
Pics: Fern Connolly and Maria Hackett

What you'll need:

  • A red or black top and skirt or red or black dress, accessorised with hearts if you have them
  • Playing cards, glued together in a wide circle to make a ruff or a hat
  • A suitably regal hairstyle

Buy Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

78. One of the 101 Dalmatians

101 Dalmatians world book day idea
Pic: Getty

What you'll need:

  • White t-shirt
  • Black marker to create spots
  • White and black face paint (optional)

Buy The One Hundred and One Dalmations

79. Malala

Malala's magic pencil world book day costume idea
Pic: Getty

What you'll need:

  • A pink headscarf
  • A pencil
  • A notebook for magical ideas

Buy Malala's Magic Pencil

80. Greg from Diary Of A Wimpy Kid

boy dressed up as greg from diary of a wimpy kid for world book day
Pic: Lauren E

What you'll need:

  • White T-shirt
  • Black shorts
  • Backpack
  • Trainers

Buy Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Got a princess outfit?

Your child could dress up as:

81. Sleeping Beauty: no snozing in claass, mind!

82. Cinderella: glass slippers might be a stretch but you could accessorise with an inviation to the ball

83. The Princess And The Pea: scrunch up some green paper for a pea prop

84. The Princess And The Frog: accessorise wth a toy frog, if you have one

85. Little Princess: make her trademark big yellow pointy crown out of card

Pic: Getty

86. Fantastic Mr Fox

fantastic mr fox

What you'll need:

  • Jacket/blazer
  • Colourful scarf/bow tie
  • Mask or cardboard to make fox ears – attach to a headband
  • Brown scarf – attach at the waist for a tail

Buy Fantastic Mr Fox on Amazon

87. Amelia Jane

Amelia Jane world book day costume idea
Pic: Getty

What you'll need:

  • 2 bows to make bunches
  • Red (ideally patterned) dress
  • Patterned tights (don't have to match)
  • A little red face paint or blush for the cheeks

Buy The Amelia Jane Collection

88. Sugarlump and The Unicorn

Sugarlump and the Unicorn
Pic: Laura Hirons

What you'll need:

  • White top
  • Tutu
  • Pink or white tights
  • Unicorn headband — make from adding a paper or cardboard horn to a regular headband

Buy Sugarlump and the Unicorn

89. Mona the Vampire

mona the vampire world book day costume idea
Pic: Fordana Chaudhury

What you'll need:

  • Red cardigan
  • White shirt
  • Black skirt
  • White tights
  • Purple material for cloak
  • Pipe cleaners to section and twist up hair

Buy Mona the Vampire and the Jackpot Disaster

More ideas if you have a vampire costume:

Your child could dress up as:

90. Rudolph in The Little Vampire

91. Dracula

92. Ivy in My Sister, The Vampireaccessorise with school books

Pic: Getty

93. Stick Man

Stick Man World Book Day costume idea

Pics: Abi Fields and Louise Dzokoto

What you'll need:

  • Brown clothes
  • A couple of twigs or leaves to hold
  • Leaf-shaped scraps of fabric to thread through belt or glue on brown top

Buy Stick Man

94. Scarecrow from The Scarecrows' Wedding

The Scarecrow's Wedding
Pic: Georgina Bunny

What you'll need:

  • A dress or dungarees
  • Colourful tights or leggings
  • A hat, preferably straw
  • Small bunch of flowers
  • Straw or brown coloured yarn

Buy The Scarecrows' Wedding

95. Captain Underpants

captain underpants world book day costume idea
Pic: Getty

What you'll need:

  • Light-coloured clothes
  • A pair of underpants – to go on top
  • A red cape or blanket

Buy The Adventures of Captain Underpants

96. Sophie from The BFG

Sophie from BFG world book day costume idea
Pic: Getty

What you'll need:

  • Pink dress
  • Empty glass or plastic jar
  • Piece of paper to write 'Sophie's Dreams' on – and stick to your jar

Buy The BFG

Got a skeleton outfit?

Then your child could dress up as:

97. One of the Funnybones skeletons: add a quirky hat

98. One of the skeleton ancestors in Disney's Coco

99. The Skeleton Inside You: be a fact book in person!

Pic: Getty

100. Goldilocks

Goldilocks World Book Day costume idea
Pic: Katie Dawson

What you’ll need:

  • Normal clothes
  • 3 teddy bears, preferably in different sizes

Buy Goldilocks and the Three Bears

101. The Paper Bag Princess

Paperboy Princess World Book Day costume idea
Pic: Sammy Mudd

What you’ll need:

  • Large takeaway bag
  • Flesh-coloured tights
  • Pale pink jumper
  • Headband with cardboard crown (optional)

Buy The Paper Bag Princess

102. Isadora Moon

Isadora Moon World Book Day costume idea
Pic: Jessica Honnor

What you'll need:

  • Black dress or black shirt and top
  • Black and white stripy tights
  • Vampire wings
  • Bat hairband (optional)

Buy Isadora Moon Meets the Tooth Fairy

103. Sophie from the Tiger who Came to Tea

the tiger who came to tea world book day costume idea
Pic Nicole Rigden Hamid

What you'll need:

  • Dark pinafore dress
  • Blue/purple shirt
  • Pink or purple tights
  • Purple ribbon in hair
  • Tiger stuffed toy

Buy The Tiger who Came to Tea

104. The Highway Rat

Highway Rat World Book Day costume idea
Pic: Megan Watkin

What you'll need:

  • White shirt
  • Leggings (purple, black, blue)
  • Black boots/shoes
  • Black cape – or black hoodie/jumper knotted over shoulders
  • A pirate hat, if you have one

Buy The Highway Rat

105. Lily Bobtail

lily bobtail world book day costume idea
Pic: Getty

What you'll need:

  • Headband (add cardboard bunny ears)
  • Pink cardie
  • Pink/red dress

Buy Lily's Party Time

106. The Jolly Postman

boy dressed as the jolly postman for World Book Day
Pic: Emily S

What you'll need:

  • Smart trousers (pref navy)
  • Smart jumper or blazer (pref navy)
  • Shirt and tie
  • Smart shoes
  • Cap
  • Over the shoulder bag
  • Some envelopes

Buy The Jolly Postman

107. Lola from Big Hair, Don't Care

big hair don't care costume idea for world book day
Pic: Getty

What you'll need:

  • Pink headband
  • Pink vest top
  • Shorts
  • Trainers

Buy Big Hair Don't Care

And if you've got a bit more time to do a bit of paper mâché...

108. The Gruffalo

gruffalo

We've put together a how-to video for this papier mache Gruffalo mask, which is super-quick to make – although you'll need to remember to factor in some drying time.

What you'll need:

  • PVA glue
  • Masking tape
  • Cardboard
  • Balloon
  • Paints and marker pen
  • Newspaper
  • Tissue paper

Watch the full Make a Gruffalo mask video tutorial

Buy The Gruffalo

109. Aslan from The Chronicles Of Narnia

narnia

We've put together a how-to for this easy-to-make papier mache lion mask.

What you'll need:

  • PVA glue
  • Masking tape
  • Cardboard
  • Paint and marker pen
  • Newspaper
  • Balloon

Watch the full Make a Lion mask video tutorial

Buy The Complete Chronicles of Narnia

Additional research by Emily Longman Wall

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About the author Helen Brown

Helen is Deputy Editor of MadeForMums, the author of Parenting for Dummies (Wiley, £17.99). She has been a judge for the Bookstart Awards and written about parenting for Mumsnet, Pregnancy & Birth, Prima Baby, Boots Parenting Club and She Magazine and she's also been Consumer Editor of Mother & Baby. She has 3 boys and a heavy-duty washing machine.

Read more:

Authors

Helen Brown
Helen BrownHead of Content Delivery

Helen is author of the classic advice book Parenting for Dummies and a mum of 3. Before joining MadeForMums, she was Head of Community at Mumsnet and also the Consumer Editor of Mother & Baby.

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