30 World Book Day Costume Ideas for Kids
You may be wondering, when World Book Day is? Well, don’t worry, they won’t miss out! Scroll below for 30 World Book Day costume ideas, everything from Roald Dahl, David Walliams, Dr Seuss, fairytale classics and everything in between!
1. The Gingerbread Man
This story seems ever so popular year on year, it never gets old! It’s one of the most simple and brilliant book characters to dress up as, and this Gingerbread Man onesie will keep your little one comfortable all day at school.
2. The Gruffalo
Julia Donaldson is a well-known hero in the world of children’s literature, and one of her first most characters to take off was The Gruffalo. Dress your child in this unisex Gruffalo costume onesie complete with big claws and prickled tail, they’ll be so warm and snug during school.
3. Peter Rabbit & Friends
The revival of Peter Rabbit’s popularity may have been reliant on the new animated movies, but it still brings attention back to Beatrix’s Potters books in the end. Dress your little one like Peter, Jemima Puddleduck or Cottontail Rabbit this book day and they’ll look so cute!
4. Bing Bunny
Bing is new to the scene, and if you have little ones who love a bit of Cbeebies, you may have seen him around already! Bing’s tv show is based around the original books by Ted Dewan, and your child can use their book tokens for Bing’s Splashy Story which is one of the £1 books for World Book Day.
5. Mary Poppins
A favourite amongst kids year on year, we have a Mary Poppins Costume for your little one. Whether they love the original movie or the newer version with Emily blunt, we have it all – along with a costume for Bert the Chimney sweep!
6. Descendants
Any girl would love to transform into one of the Descendant girls this World Book Day, and we can see why! The epic movies first hit our screens in 2015, and have since become a huge phenomenon. Dressing up as Descendants is highly popular amongst young girls. The question is, will your girl follow in the footsteps of their villainous mother, or choose a different path?
7. The Cheshire Cat
Your child will have the biggest grin when turning up to school in the Cheshire Cat costume. New to us for World Book Day, the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland makes for a colourful book character to dress up as and it’s a rather unique choice too.
8. Paddington Bear
This little bear from Peru is ever so popular, and now your little one can rock up to school wearing our Paddington Bear Costume. Send them off equipped with a marmalade sandwich and some wellington boots and they’re World Book Day ready in a flash.
9. Peppa Pig
Ideal for preschoolers, this Peppa Pig costume comes in ages 2-6 and is super comfortable for your pig-loving fan. We also have a George pig costume, so your little ones can splash in muddy puddles together on their way to school.
10. Claude
This particular dog and his best friend “Bobblysock” are also newer to the scene, like Bing, Claude has a TV show on Disney Channel that’s based on the books by his creator, Alex T Smith. Dress your little one up in our Claude costume for a unique World Book Day costume idea.
11. Where’s Wally
The search and find books that are popular across the globe by Martin Handford make for the ultimate costume during book week. Where’s Wally? (or Waldo in the US) is known for his famous red and white stripes, so get your little one’s standing out from the crowd in our Where’s Wally costume, or Wenda for girls!
12. The BFG
This Big Friendly Giant is a favourite kids book for many generations. By Roald Dahl, this BFG costume comes with everything your child needs to transform into a giant including a horn to blow good dreams and a large ear headband.
13. Cat in the Hat
Dr Seuss loved making rhymes, he took his time, to make his rhymes chime! Try little one as the Cat in the Hat, it sure is a costume that won’t fall flat! It has a large top hat with red and white stripes, a black jumpsuit with tail, that’s sure to wow! It’s ideal for your child, boy or girl, so try it this World Book Day – give it a whirl! Looking for something easier on your pocket? Take a look here!
14. Thing 1 & 2
“Out of the box come Thing one and Thing two”, send them off to school as this cheeky duo from Dr Seuss’ Cat in the Hat, perfect for little trouble makers. These jumpsuits come with a blue foam headpiece and “Thing 1 & Thing 2” stickers.
15. The Teletubbies
One extremely popular kids TV programmes back in the 1990s was The Teletubbies. They brought kids so much happiness, as they started off their days watching the four friendly creatures that loved tubby toast, day in, day out. They make a great costume character to dress up as for World Book Day with the rest of their Teletubby friends.
16. Elmer the Elephant
If you want a costume for your preschooler or infant, the Elmer the elephant costume hooded cape is a colourful look for book day this year. This unique world book day costume idea is ideal for children 2-6 years old.
17. Dumbo
Fly off to school with this little Dumbo costume. Your child can dress up as Disney’s favourite elephant for book day this year. This comfortable grey plush jumpsuit has a character hood with large elephant ears.
18. Wind in the Willows
This older much-loved tale is still so popular for World Book Day! The Wind in the Willows features Mr Toad, Mole, Ratty & Badger on their adventures. These comfortable jumpsuits are an easy costume to throw on when heading off to school!
19. Peter Pan
A fairytale turned Disney classic, Peter Pan, Wendy & the lost boys are a childhood memory for many. Send your little one off to school in this Peter Pan costume, it’s a great World Book Day costume idea if your child wants to match with friends or siblings, simply pair them up with Captain Hook and Tinkerbell too!
20. How To Train Your Dragon
This movie franchise started out as a series of 12 books, and if your child is a fan, they’ll be delighted to dress up as Hiccup, Toothless, Light Fury & Astrid. They’re great book characters to dress up as because most people forget they started as a book!
21. Alice in Wonderland
Alice from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and a Disney film version is a treasured character and has multiple spin-offs and movies. Alice’s iconic blue dress, curiosity and desire for adventure makes her an absolute staple at World Book Day!
22. The Mad Hatter
This kooky character from Alice in Wonderland will forever be the star of the show. Pop your little one into this costume and send them off for a mad and bonkers tea party at school.
23. Cruella De Vil
If this character doesn’t scare you, no evil thing will! This Cruella De Vil costume from the book 101 Dalmatians features the prominent Dalmatian spots on the skirt and cape. Complete with the black and white wig, your little one will need to practise their bad attitude for the big day! Why not team them up with a best friend as a Dalmatian?
24. Miss Trunchbull
Here’s another World Book Day costume idea for if your child loves playing the villain, Miss Trunchbull from Matilda! This evil headmistress will throw children in the chokey if they misbehave even the tiniest bit. Complete with a monobrow, this costume can only look better when teamed up with a friend in a Matilda costume!
25. The Joker
A bad boy from the world of comic books, the Joker costume is perfect for World Book Day if your child isn’t a massive fan of reading hefty books. You may already have one lying around the house from previous parties or Halloween, so pull it out again for World Book Day.
26. The Artful Dodger
From Oliver Twist, this pickpocketer will always go down in history as one of the best! Let them trot off to school in this street urchin costume, perfect for World Book Day.
27. Dorothy & The Wizard of Oz
Follow the yellow brick road all the way to school in our selection of Wizard of Oz costume perfect for book day. Choose from Dorothy and Toto, The Scarecrow, The Cowardly Lion and The Tin Man.
28. Charlie Bucket
We’ve got quite the selection of costumes from Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate factory, including Willy Wonka, Charlie Bucket, an Oompa Loompa, Violet Beauregarde, Augustus Gloop and a Wonka bar itself! These characters are always a great idea for World Book Day and perfect to reuse for Roald Dahl Day.
29. Gangsta Granny
This is one of the most famous David Walliams characters loved by all. Gangsta granny has a book, movie and stage show – it’s such a hit! Dress up as this cheeky grandma complete with a swag bag, pearl necklace, wig, glasses and eye mask.
30. The Hungry Caterpillar
A popular book amongst primary school children, The Very Hungry Caterpillar is one of the most unique world book day characters to choose! With all it’s little legs, eyes and antenna headpiece, your little one will be eating their way through World Book Day in no time.
There you have it, the list of our top 30 World Book Day costume ideas for kids. If you want something a little different and more unusual, take a peek of our blog on unique costumes for World Book Day here, or view our full selection of costumes here.