Book Week is celebrated in most Australian schools, celebrating books, authors and illustrators to highlight the importance of reading. Many of the schools celebrate with the kids dressing up as their favourite book character and sharing their clever book character costume in the schools Book Character Parade.
My kids have created book character costumes every year, however their new school is doing something a little different, no dressing up! Instead, they want them to take a photo of themselves reading a book in a weird, wacky or wild place.
Anyways… back to you, I know how difficult it is to come up with fun new ideas each year what book character the kids can dress up as, so I have put together a selection of ideas for you.
Book Character Costume Ideas
You can find more book week costume ideas that I have shared in previous years here and here.
My Miss 10 dressed up as Alice in Wonderland last year, she wore a blue dress, Miss 10 sewed herself a little apron and she turned a box into a little house (she is giant Alice). Idea inspired by here.
A fantastic Australian Book is Blinky Bill. I purchased a cheap white top and grey leggings, then made the red pants. We sewed together some furry fabric, adding elastic to the top so it would stay on her arms, along with a little face mask.
Mr Men, made with glue, nikko pen and cardboard from the newsagents.
The Paper Bag Princess – idea found via Seeker of Happiness
Olivia – idea found via Seeker of Happiness
Fancy Nancy – idea found via Seeker of Happiness
Here’s a great mask of a Diary of a Whimpy Kids Mask – idea found via Book Aid International
Fantastic Mr. Fox – idea found via A Beautiful Mess
Mr Strong and Little Miss Sunshine – idea found via The Guardian
Elmer the Patchwork Elephant – idea found Here
The Very Hungry Caterpillar – idea found via Lessons Learnt Journal
Jack And The Bean Stalk – idea found via Chronicle Live
Grug Costume – idea found via Instructables
Camilla Cream from A Bad Case of Stripes – idea found via The Cornerstone
Fly Guy – idea found Here
Pippi Longstocking Braids – idea found via Make
Charlie Brown – idea found via Little Hiccups
Paperbag Craft Challenge – idea found via Red Ted Art
Plus you will find many more great ideas by clicking the images below, I must admit, my daughter pictured below dressed as a Gumnut Baby from Snugglepot and Cuddlypie is one of my favourite book character costume ideas to date.
and Christie from Childhood 101 shares more great ideas
6 comments
Thanks for some great ideas. My girl wants to be a Disney princess every year – they ARE her favourite books – but I want something different. Last year it was Cinderella, this year it’s Belle, but I might show her this pic of the Little Miss and Mr Men characters and see what she thinks.
I just love the little Miss, especially little Miss Sunshine.:)
My goodness why is it I always forget about book week until the night before!!!
Definitely upping my game next year!!
Yvettte, i used to be the weekend before but i have to say in the last year or so i have been a little more prepared. Though it does seem to creep up on us very fast!
My daughter saw Princess Bride recently (based on a novel written int he 70s) and decided she wanted to go as Inigo Montoya. We had the boots. I found the shirt, vest, belt & pants at a second hand shop (dyed the grey pants brown thanks to google!).
My daughter and I embellished a purchased sword with gold pipe cleaners and gemstones that we applied to pipe cleaners with sticky tape, and to the sword with a glue-gun – that was a fun shared activity.
Finally we stuck on a Spotlight mustache, used face paint crayons for the scars (which didn’t work very well sadly), and sprayed her hair a dark brown.
It was such a success that one of her classmates asked who she was ‘for real’ – he didn’t recognize her!
How do I upload a photo / video?
Wow that sounds amazing! What a fantastic effort.:)