Every year, World Book Day celebrates the joy of reading, inspiring a new generation of budding book worms to read for fun.
This year, World Book Day 2025 falls on Thursday March 6, which means parents still have one day left to get that all-important costume sorted for their little ones.
We’ve rounded up the best costumes from last year to inspire this year’s creations – and they’re easy to put together too.
So if you’ve riffled through your kids dressing up box and come up empty, never fear, there’s still time to get your child decked out as their favourite characters, from Hungry Caterpillars to the entire cast of Harry Potter.
Easy costume ideas for kids for World Book Day 2025
Matilda
Roald Dahl has plenty of weird and wonderful characters to pick from, but we love this fabulous little girls’ choice to dress as the terrifying Miss Trunchbull, the headteacher at Crunchem Hall, where Matilda goes to school.
It’s quite an easy one to recreate too. The jumper and belt is spot on, along with her trousers tucked into her socks. Shot puts are the perfect accessory too.
Mairi-Jean Watkins (@MairiWatkins) captioned the clip, ‘Chokey now!!’, saying: ‘All set for #WorldBookDay2024’, before wishing her daughter’s school good luck.
We have to say the costume is amazing, but the acting talent from this mini reader makes it a 10/10 from us.
Harry Potter
Harry Potter might have been released nearly 30 years ago, but there’s a new generation of kids desperately waiting for their letter from Hogwarts.
Sarah (@sarri_c) shared on Twitter: ‘My niece Sophie, has been watching Philosophers Stone EVERY DAY for the last few months. It’s become her comfort blanket. So it was a no-brainer who she would be…
‘P.S she’s not sad, just “in character”.’
The little girl was kitted out head-to-toe with the Gryffindor school uniform, along with her wand, Hedwig the owl, spectacles and of course the scar Voldemort left on her forehead.
She’s even got Harry’s worried expression down to a T, although she is missing a sock and we don’t remember that being in the books.
Lewis Hamilton
From footballers to popstars, you’re never too young to become a superfan, and biographies written by your kids’ favourite celebraties are a great way to get them reading.
And it makes for some easy World Book Day costumes too.
Rachel Earlswood (@EarlswoodEco) sent her son to school as the seven-time world champion F1 racing driver Lewis Hamilton.
She wrote: ‘At my 8-year-old son’s school, they’re doing non fiction World Book Day. Jackson chose @LewisHamilton because he is paving the way for other mixed race kids in a very white world. Daddy spent 3 hours platting his hair last night! What do you think?!’
The young boy can be seen holding the Little People, Big Dreams Lewis Hamilton book, donning a Mercedes top and cap – although we guess he’ll have to wear Ferrari colours this year.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Another Roald Dahl book perfect for World Book Day inspo is, of course, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. And last year brought the world an exceptional Oompa Loompa.
The young chap has the iconic green wig, the orange face and the white and brown overalls to complete the look.
We aren’t quite sure the Oompa Loompa’s wore Nike trainers but we think they compliment the look brilliantly.
X user Mark (@Hazzy2_0) shared a picture of his son saying: ‘I think he hates me right now.’
One commenter, Casey J, wrote: ‘This has made my morning he looks fantastic bro.’
The Wizard of Oz
A set of identical twins were certainly following the yellow brick road to school today, both dressed as brilliant Dorothys.
Andy Goode (@AndyGoode10) wrote: ‘A couple of Dorothy’s heading off for #WorldBookDay2024.’
You might already have some of these items in your kids’ wardrobes already. Decked out in their blue pinafore dresses with red bows, red tights and baskets holding beloved terrier Toto, these girls both truly looked the part.
The only thing better than one Dorothy, is two.
Marcus Rashford
Our tiniest tot yet had dressed up brilliantly for World Book Day as Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford.
Dressed in a United shirt and football shorts, this toddler even posed feeding a baby, meant to represent Rashford advocating for free school meals.
Like our Lewis Hamilton costume earlier, this outfit was based on the Little People, Big Dreams Marcus Rashford book.
@iBainsy wrote: ‘Feeding the children like @MarcusRashford. Disclaimer: Crocs not intended as part of the outfit. Toddler tantrum if I took them off.’
We have to say if Marcus had been wearing those pink crocs he may have scored more than one blinding goal against Man City on Sunday.
Honourable Mention
While there’s no specific mention of which book this lovely little bee is from, we couldn’t help but mention her.
Little Olivia was posted by her dad @ActionJackson, posing as a fabulously stripy bee, with wings, a wand, and antennae.
While we aren’t sure the typical bee carries a tote bag, she obviously needs somewhere to store her pollen she’ll collect throughout the day.
The shoes alone make this a worthy World Book Day outfit.
She could be I Am Bee by Rebecca McDonald, the Little Yellow Bee by Ginger Swift or Kaia and the Bees – regardless, the looks fuzzy and adorable.
What has your child dressed up as today? Let us know in the comments below…
Not all parents are a fan of World Book Day…
Not everyone is a fan of World Book Day, though, with parent
Nadia Cohen calling it as ‘painful as childbirth’. Writing for Metro.co.uk she said:
‘As schools across Britain open their gates to an army of excitable Hermiones and Harrys this morning, listen for the collective sigh of relief as parents rejoice that World Book Day (WBD) is over for another year.
‘It should be a celebration of reading, but just hearing those three little words is enough to make most of us break out in a cold sweat. It is the day in the school calendar that every parent dreads the most.
‘I am not a perfect Pinterest mum. I am crap at crafts. Every year I urge my twin sons Felix and Harry, now in their early teens, to please just go as Horrid Henry because that’s basically scruffy clothes.
‘The first year I encountered WBD, I was full of foolish optimism. Cake sales and volunteering for the PTA were my thing back then – I thought this would be a breeze.
‘The theme was animals. A hedgehog darling? No problem. I laughed at supermarket displays of flammable-looking accessories and went home to sew fluffy fabric.
‘There was literally blood (from the needle stabs), sweat and plenty of tears, but in a stroke of sheer genius, I crafted spikes out of wooden pegs.
‘As dawn broke and I presented Felix with my efforts, he was not impressed. The spiky bits hurt his bottom when he sat down (my suggestion of crawling on all fours was apparently not allowed). He worried about going to the loo. The pegs kept falling off.
‘And yet, WBD is a bit like childbirth. After a few months you forget the pain and by the time it rolls around again you think it’s a brilliant idea.’
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