World Book Day love it or hate it? I really don’t mind the day that much. Mainly because I don’t feel the need to go all out and try for the costume of the year! I much prefer to keep our costumes fairly simple and use things we can easily find that are homemade or inexpensive to source. It’s always a bonus when they can make a costume up from their dressing-up box.
I do understand that for some it’s a day that children can find a little stressful. For parents of children who aren’t fond of dressing up, it can make the school run a bit more fraught than normal. Our third child frets a little when school deviates from wearing a uniform and so finding outfits that he feels comfortable in can be a little challenging. So with this in mind and the need for some inspiration for this year’s costumes, I turned to some fellow bloggers for some simple ideas and compiled a list of my own ideas.
Homemade Costumes for World Book Day using everyday clothes
Captain Underpants
Jenny who blogs over at The gingerbread House shows you how to create a Captain Underpants costume with just a plain t-shirt and fabric pens
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
- White T.Shirt
- Black Shorts
- Backpack
- Trainers
Sophie – Sophie’s adventures by Dick King-Smith
- Normal Clothes
- Wellies
- Small Bunny
Thing 1 and Thing 2
Sarah who blogs at Boo Roo and Tiger Too gives a step-by-step tutorial on how to create a simple Dr. Suess costume for one or two siblings!
Max – Where the Wild things are
- Hooded onesie
- Crown
- Tail
Lucy from the Creakers
- Dungarees
- Goggles
- Torch
Tom Gates
- White T.Shirt customised with doodles
Charlotte – Charlotte’s Web
- Dress
- Pig or Spider
Christopher Robin
- Shorts
- T-shirt
- Wellies or Shoes and long socks
- Pooh Bear
Harry and his bucket full of dinosaurs
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- Red Top
- Jeans
- Bucket of dinosaurs
Mary Poppins
- White blouse
- Red bow tie
- Black Hat with flowers on
- Bag and Umbrella
Bert – Mary Poppins
- Waistcoat
- Trousers
- Brush or make one with a stick and grey wool
Emmeline Pankhurst
- Long Sleeved Black Top
- Pinafore dress
- Colourful paper to make votes for women sash/ badge
Geek Girl
- Normal Clothes
- Black-rimmed glasses (if prop glasses write on them geek and girl in the lenses)
Amelia Earhart
- Brown jacket
- White Top
- Hat
- Goggles
Pip or Posy
- Face Paint
- Headband with Ears
Highway Rat
- White Shirt
- Purple, black or blue Leggings
- Black cape
- Pirate Hat and pretend sword
Peter Rabbit
- Headband with bunny ears
- Blue coat or cardigan
- Bunny tail
The Jolly Postman
- Smart Trousers
- Smart Blazer
- Shirt and tie
- Smart Shoes
- Shoulder bag filled with some envelopes
Hetty Feather
- Victorian Costume
Aslan – The Chronicles of Narnia
- Brown Clothes
- Fur gilet
- Lion Head / Lion Mask
Super Soccer Boy
- Football strip
- Black Cape with SSB logo on the back
Frankie – Frankie’s Magic Football
- Football Kit
Crayon – The day the crayons came home
- Coloured Card for hat and tabard
- Same coloured leggings and top
Hungry Caterpillar
- Green leggings and top
- Red hat with eyes and antenna
Pippi Longstocking
- Dress
- Tights
- Plaits using pipe cleaners to stick up
Anne of Green Gables
- Straw Hat
- Blue dress
- Floral Shirt
Elmer
Raimonda who blogs at Cosmo Mum shares with us this adorable Elmer the Elephant costume.
Bear Grylls – Bear Grylls Adventure Books
- Outdoor Clothing
- Outdoor Hat and a small climbing rope
Violet – Violet Mysteries
- Normal clothes
- Magnifying Glass and spy notebook
Costume inspiration for children who don’t enjoy dressing up
Emma over at Bubbablueandme has some lovely ideas for children who prefer a simple costume and has ideas for costumes for characters Mike Teevee, Stick Man, Katie Morag and more.
Ella who blogs at Typical Mummy has some good advice for children who find dressing up on World Book Day a bit tricky. They choose characters which he can wear his own clothes for, so he feels like he isn’t “dressing up”, but then use props so he is still joining in. One year he took a bucket of dinosaurs with him…so was “Harry and his Bucketful of Dinosaurs;” another year I made him a Wonka Bar and a Golden Ticket and he was Charlie from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and he’s also gone as the Mad Hatter for which I bought a cheap hat on eBay and added ribbon and feathers and a 10/6 note.
All very simple but meant that he could join in without feeling like he was properly dressing up.
Making easy costumes and accessories for homemade World Book Day costumes
Ali who blogs at We Made This Life shares with us how she made a no-sew Princess Leia costume and even has a handy YouTube tutorial for you to watch. Any outfit that means I don’t have to break out the sewing box is a bonus!
Emma over
at all she loves has some simple yet effective ideas for making robes, headbands, and armour.
Farm Themed Homemade Costumes for World Book Day
I love these fun farmyard ideas from Emma who blogs at Farmer’s Wife and Mummy with Tractor Ted, the thief from What the Ladybird Heard, Supertato, or even Chicken Licken there is a costume for any farmyard obsessed little. Really perfect for nursery, preschoolers, and infant school-aged children.
Roald Dahl Inspiration
Beth who blogs over at Twinderelmo shows us how simple it is to create 3 Roald Dahl costumes – Fantastic Mr. Fox, George from George’s Marvellous Medicine, and Veruca Salt
Charlie Bucket- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- Scruffy clothes
- Golden ticket
Big Friendly Giant – BFG
- Waistcoat – Or a white T-shirt with a waistcoat drawn on
- White T-shirt
- Long Shorts
- Cardboard ears on a headband
- Cardboard trumpet and or small suitcase
Erin who blogs over at Yorkshire Tots shares her Sophie from the BFG
- Nightie OR pale pink dress and cardigan
- Jar of Dreams
Matilda
- Red hair ribbon
- dress
- long white socks
- books to carry
Enormous Crocodile
- Green Onesie / Clothing
- Tail
- Cardboard Croc Mask
David Williams Costumes
Gangsta Granny
Mr. Stink – David Walliams
- Trousers, shirt, and Jumper
- Brown Coat
- Greybeard (cardboard)
Boy in a dress
- A dress
- Football
Billionaire Boy
- School trousers
- Baggy white Top
- Fake money
Midnight Gang
- Stripy Pjs
- Pillow
- Balloon
Characters that wear Nightwear
Tom – Tom’s Midnight Garden
- Blue and white striped pjs
Wendy – Peter Pan
- Traditional light blue nightie
Grandmother – Little Red Riding Hood
- Nightie with Wolf ears/mask
Little Princess
- Nightie
- Crown (cardboard)
Classics
Alice in Wonderland
- Blue dress
- White Apron
- Hair band/ribbon
Dorothy – The Wizard of Oz
- Blue dress
- Red Shoes
William from Goodnight Mr. Tom
- Shirt with jumper or tank top
- Shorts
- long socks
- Evacuee props like brown parcel label
Stripes
Burglar Bill
- Dark and white striped top with trousers
- Mask and loot bag
Boy – Lost and found
- Red and White Stripe top
- Bobble hat
- trousers
- Penguin
- Small suitcase
Where’s Wally
- Red and White striped top
- Bobble hat
- Glasses
Dave – Dogger
- Striped polo t-shirt
- Shorts
- Jumper
- Toy dog
Horrid Henry
- Blue and Yellow Striped jumper
- Trousers or jeans
Dennis the Menace
- Red and Black Striped Top
- Black Shorts
Scarecrow – Scarecrow’s Wedding or the Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz
- Dress / Dungarees / Jeans and Checked Shirt
- Straw Hat
- Messy Hair and some yellow wool for straw
Paddington Bear
- Blue Duffle Coat
- Red Hat
- Suitcase and a cardboard marmalade sandwich
Ladybird – What the Ladybird Heard
- Red Clothes
- Face Paint
- Black spots to stick on clothes
World Book Day costumes you may already have in your dressing-up box
Mary who blogs at Over 40 and a Mum to One shows you how to recreate a Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III costume
Funny Bones -Skeleton Outfit leftover from Halloween
Witch – Worst Witch, Witch from Room on the broom. Meg, Professor McGonaghal, or Hermione
Harry Potter
- Glasses
- Face paint for a scar
Cat Costume – Mog or Tabby McTat
Pirate Costume – Captain Hook or various other pirate tales.
Fairy outfit – Tinkerbell, Rainbow Magic Fairy series
The Tiger who came to Tea – Tiger Costume or Onesie
Donkey Costume – Wonky Donkey
Star Wars outfits – Storm trooper, Chewbacca, or a Jedi with a lightsaber. You could always make a cardboard lightsaber if schools don’t allow real ones.
Knight costume – Arthur and Tom by Beast Quest
Dragon onesie – Zog
Animal Onesie – Dear Zoo
Last Minute Costume Ideas
I love this idea of Flying Fergus from Jenni who blogs over at The Bear and The Fox
Lucy from The Parent Game Blog has over 50 last-minute ideas for us, from characters from The Magic Faraway Tree to Squash and a Squeeze to Dr. Doolittle you will be sure to find a costume that your child will be happy with.
I do hope that this list gave you some inspiration for your little one for this year’s World Book Day.
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