8 Easy World Book Day Costume Ideas

It’s World Book Day this Thursday, March 2 and if you’re among one of the parents who still haven’t figured out a costume for your little one, don’t panic.

We’ve put together some simple yet amazing ideas to help you ensure your child enjoys this day.

World Book Day is an annual event designated by UNESCO to celebrate books and reading. Studies show that children who enjoy reading every day not only perform better in reading tests but also tend to have a broader vocabulary, higher general knowledge and better understanding of others.

It’s important to add some fun to things you want your children to be interested in and this is the perfect opportunity. If you haven’t been celebrating this day before, there’s no time like the present!

1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Becoming Greg Heffley from the Diary of the Wimpy Kid is suitable for older children and requires little time.

You simply have to get a white card and draw the face on it with a thick black felt tip pen. Then, cut it into shape and attach an elastic to the back using tape.

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Dress your child in a white shirt, black trousers/shorts and black shoes. An added touch would be to carry a book with “Diary” written on it. Your kid can even walk with a hunch to really embrace the character!

2. Matilda

The star of Roald Dahl’s novel remains a favourite among children. To create the look, you’ll just need a blue dress with white socks. A red bow or band around the head would complete the look.

As Matilda always has her head buried in a book, simply carry around the novel!

3. Where’s Wally/Wenda

We can’t promise your kid will blend in the crowd with this cute costume! You’ll need a red and white stripped top, blue trousers and a woolly hat.

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If you don’t have a red and white one, you can use a white hat and get red fabric paint or red acrylic paint, then paint a red stripe around the bottom of it.  For the pom-pom, simply crumble up a piece of red paper and glue it to the top of the hat.

4. Mary Poppins

This would make for a fun costume that won’t take any time! Simply use a navy blue skirt, a white shirt and a bow. Spruce it up with a hat, a handbag and an umbrella.

5. Dr Seuss’ Sam-I-Am

If you’re feeling a little crafty, try out a Sam-I-Am costume from Green Eggs and Ham. You’ll need a yellow shirt or a dress and a red hat (easily created with red felt). Then, you’ll need to recreate the green eggs and ham by using white and green felt.

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For the plate, you can either use a white paper plate or cut up a round felt piece. For the eggs, you’ll need to cut two large circles of white felt and two smaller green ones. You can then sew the felt together and stitch them onto the plate (or use a safety pin).

6. The Very Hungry Caterpillar

A classic book that goes way back! To recreate the look, you can use dark green pants with a light and dark green striped jumper. You could also switch that to a long striped dress of the same colours.

Finish the look by cutting yellow felt into an oval-shape and a slightly smaller one from green felt, then glue them together. Attach them onto a red hat and add two sticks to the back of it.

7. Oompa Loompa

Who doesn’t love Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Recreate the mischievous Oompa Loompa look with a brown top, white trousers and white braces you’ll need to criss-crossed from the front.  

Of course, the look isn’t complete without a green wig and A LOT of orange face paint!

8. 101 Dalmatians

If you don’t have or can’t find a spotty black and white outfit, no need to worry. All you’ll need is a white top and leggings or pants, but they have to be ones you don’t mind ruining! You can then add your own black dots onto them, either by using fabric paint or through the longer process of cutting out black felt and gluing them on.

Complete the costume by adding a headband with dog ears and face paint!