From homemade outfits thrown together the night before to painstakingly planned creations weeks in the making, families pulled out all the stops to bring their children’s favourite books to life.
They’re off to see the Wizard! (Image: Nicky Sophie Carver)
Schools and nurseries across the News Shopper patch marked the annual celebration with character parades, special assemblies and lots of shared reading – and our readers were only too happy to show off the results.
Storm’s dress is quite literally made from storybooks – an incredible effort. (Image: Hollie Pascoe)
Ahead of the big day we asked News Shopper readers to share their costumes for the chance to be featured on our website, and our social media pages were soon flooded with photos.
Winnie the Pooh and friends… (Tigger and Chucky) (Image: Karen Louise Cassidy)
A young king stepped out in a velvet robe trimmed with faux ermine, a golden crown perched proudly on his head and a copy of The Sword in the Stone clutched in his hands – a royal reminder that classic tales still cast a spell on new generations.
King Arthur visits south east London. (Image: Amy Harrison)
Dr Seuss was another favourite on local doorsteps and playgrounds.
Dedication to The Lorax (Image: Amy Turtle Taylor)
One youngster went all out as the Cat in the Hat, complete with the famous red-and-white striped top hat, smart black-and-white suit and bright red bow tie.
Why he’s the Cat in the Hat, there’s no doubt about that. (Image: Emma Nicholls)
In another household, Mary Poppins looked practically perfect in every way in her blue coat, red boots and dainty hat topped with flowers and cherries, ready to glide into class with a spoonful of sugar.
Mary Poppins (Image: Ellemay Marney)
Parents told us many of the outfits had been pieced together from charity shop finds and items already lurking at the back of wardrobes, proof that World Book Day doesn’t have to break the bank.
The cutest Florence Nightingale (Image: Carley Ansell)
Where’s Wally made an inevitable appearance, with a reader sharing a snap of their child in the instantly recognisable red-and-white striped top and bobble hat, holding a well-worn Where’s Wally? book.
Where’s Wally off to? (Image: Stacie Lee)
In another photo, a girl in a long cream dress, floral corset-style belt and black boots looked every inch the heroine of a historical novel, while more than one Hogwarts student posed for the camera.
Enola Holmes is ready to explore! (Image: Lauran Aylott)
One Hermione Granger lookalike wore a grey school dress, tie and long black cloak, gripping her wand and channelling serious spell-casting energy; another young wizard pointed his wand straight at the camera, as if mid–“Expelliarmus”.
Harry Potter and the World Book Day adventure (Image: Tobileigh Waddell)
Hermione Granger at the ready, wand in hand. (Image: Maria Carman)
Roald Dahl and David Walliams stories were clearly still firm favourites with families too.
Gangsta Granny ready for business (Image: Amy Smalldon)
A mini Willy Wonka in a purple tailcoat, lime-green trousers and towering top hat posed with a golden ticket hanging from their neck, as if about to throw open the doors of the chocolate factory.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Image: Nat Nat Russell)
Over in Wonderland, a blue-dressed Alice and a Mad Hatter with a giant clock between them looked ready for a very important tea party, reminding us that some of the most enduring children’s characters are also the quirkiest.
Alice and the Mad Hatter (Image: Vicki Louise)
Disney magic was out in force as well.
One photo showed Snow White in a yellow skirt, red bodice and sparkling shoes, standing alongside a football-mad sibling dressed head to toe in Cristiano Ronaldo kit, holding a book about his sporting hero.
Snow White and Cristiano Ronaldo – quite the duo! (Image: Sally-ann Finbow)
Behind all the fun and face paint sits a serious aim: to inspire a lifelong love of reading.
World Book Day, which is marked by schools across the UK each March, encourages children to discover new authors and stories, often with the help of special £1 book tokens and classroom activities.
Thank you to everyone who shared their pictures with us – we have featured a selection here, but there were many more brilliant costumes we simply couldn’t squeeze into one article.
If your child took part and you would like to continue celebrating their efforts, you can still comment on our original call-out post and tell us which book they chose and why it means so much to them.
