Here are some of my favourite ideas for Book Week 2022 costumes to fit this year’s theme – dreaming with eyes open.
It’s coming up to that time of year again…when the kids are excited to dress up for Book Week (and parents might be stressing about where to find a costume!)
This year, Book Week runs 20-26 August (although sometimes schools have a slightly different date for their Book Week parade or activities).
Whether you love a homemade costume challenge or you prefer to order a readymade outfit, here are some of our favourite picks for this year that are sure to inspire you!
DIY BOOK WEEK Costumes
PIDGEON
Mo Willems’ Don’t Let the Pidgeon Drive The Bus! is a gorgeous, funny picture book, and so is this costume idea!
See how to make it here and your child can just wear something blue to match.
DIARY OF A WIMPY KID
If your child loves David Kinney’s Diary of Wimpy Kid, here’s an easy costume idea!
Pair a white Tshirt with black shorts. Print the ‘wimpy kid’ face and hands, then stick to cardboard. Hands can be attached to rubber bands or twist ties, and the face can be stuck to a ruler to hold up in front of their face.
THELMA THE UNICORN
With her fabulous pink colours, Thelma The Unicorn is a popular book character choice! Kids can wear a pink dress or tracksuit with a unicorn headband.
Add a white wig, feather boa tail and silver cuffs if you’re feeling extra creative!
SNUGGLEPOT & CUDDLEPIE
The wattle babies and gumnut babies from May Gibbs’ classic book are Aussie favourites!
Team a green or yellow tutu with a top, then weave some gum leaves or wattle wound around a headband.
THE LORAX
Any characters from Dr Seuss books are always so much fun!
Create your own costume using simple clothing and a mask – you can find a DIY Lorax mask here.
Inexpensive, effective and sure to create smiles all around.
MINECRAFT
Any fan of the Minecraft game will tell you that there ARE books about Minecraft and they can definitely choose it for Book Week!
Find out how to make this costume here.
Kat’s tip
If you’re on a budget, ask friends if they have a costume in the back of the cupboard that might work for your child. You can also check Facebook Marketplace to see if anyone is selling something that might suit.
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
Fall down the rabbit hole with a creative Alice in Wonderland costume!
If you’re a bit arty, have a play with a box and some paint to create the illusion of oversized Alice in the White Rabbit’s house.
Team it with a blue dress and headband or purchase an Alice costume.
ELLA DIARIES
Sometimes kids book characters don’t have a super recognisable costume, but there are ways to still dress up!
This idea works well for all kinds of books – get hold of a large piece of cardboard and paint the book cover with a hole cut out for kids to poke their cute little faces through.
READYMADE BOOK WEEK COSTUMES
I get it, sometimes there is no time, or desire to make an outfit and this option keeps the kids involved in the fun of book week costume day.
billionaire boy
Billionaire Boy by David Walliams is a super fun costume option and a good one for reluctant kids who might be a bit shy of the dress up idea.
MATILDA
Roald Dahl’s Matilda is an absolute classic. I love that this character is celebrated for her cleverness.
Team this costume with a few books and a strong and determined spirit!
CHARLIE BUCKET
Charlie Bucket from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was a huge dreamer so this costume would be a wonderful choice for this year’s Book Week theme.
This costume includes the all-important prop – the golden ticket!
MAD HATTER
Alice in Wonderland is always a Book Week favourite character, especially with this year’s ‘dreaming’ theme.
Mix up the costume with this super cute and colourful Mad Hatter option.
LUNA LOVEGOOD
So many kids love Harry Potter and Book Week is often filled with capes and wands. If your child likes to be a bit different, why not go as Luna Lovegood?
This is a fun costume choice for a girl who likes to walk to the beat of her own drum.
clifford the big red dog
Clifford the Big Red Dog is a super cute costume choice that will also keep your child warm in winter weather.
Written by Norman Bridwell, the Clifford books were first made popular in the 60s but with the recent new movie adaptation, Clifford is cool for a whole new generation.
ROOM ON THE BROOM
This super fun rhyming book by Julia Donaldson features a witch dressed in distinctive red and purple!
This costume is from Kmart but you can also create your own with a red top, purple skirt and witch hat, wand and cape.
THE BFG
Roald Dahl’s classic book The BFG features the instantly recognisable giant character which makes a fun costume!
Buy a readymade The BFG costume or put together your own simple version with black pants, white Tshirt and brown cape with some cardboard ears on a headband.
LION (FROM DEAR ZOO)
Does your child love the picture book Dear Zoo?
Dress up as any of the animals in Rod Campbell’s beautiful book, including the elephant, monkey, lion, camel, snake, frog, giraffe or puppy!
fantastic mr fox
Another Roald Dahl favourite, this Fantastic Mr Fox costume is so gorgeous and will stand out in any Book Week parade.
We offer a huge variety of hand-selected organisation, storage, cleaning, kitchenwares, homewares and more all to help make life easier at home, all delivered to your door.
I’m so impressed every year with the evolution of Book Week costume ideas, which seem to get more inventive and impressive with each passing year. Continue Reading
