32 last-minute World Book Day costume ideas for 2024

If your kid has a green jumper and a pair of green trousers, you can pair them up to make The Little Prince's jumpsuit.

Add a yellow scarf and, if you have one, a toy fox to complete the outfit.

Coraline's look is easy to pull off if you've got a yellow raincoat and wellies handy.

For her iconic blue hair, you can try blue hair mascara, hair chalk or blue hair spray for colouring that will wash out at the end of the day.

Just make sure to check that it's safe for kids on the product label. You should also do a patch test to check for allergies.

Why not think a little outside the box and go as Penguin's Ladybird imprint for kids?

All you need is a red and black spotty skirt, top or trousers. If you don't own anything spotty, cut out some circles from black fabric and glue them onto a red t-shirt (or just use a felt tip!).

Jacqueline Wilson's beloved character from the successful Tracy Beaker books is a great option for little girls with curly hair.

Dig out a red top and jeans, or a denim skirt, and teach your little one to say "Bog off!" to anyone who crosses them (except for you and her teachers, of course).

Have a root around your dressing-up box for any spare eyepatches, plastic swords or bandanas you can use for a swashbuckling go at Jim Hawkins from Treasure Island.

If you've not got anything seaworthy, a tea towel can easily be turned into a bandana, and you can use black face paint to draw on the eye patch.

Another easy character from The Little Prince is the Rose.

A simple pink dress will do for this one, or you can follow our step-by-step guide to make a no-sew tutu.

Add a flower garland to your kid's hair, or pick up a rose from the shop for them to carry into school – be sure it's thoroughly de-thorned first!

This is a nice and straightforward costume. You only need a smart jumper with shorts and walking boots to look like Julian, Dick, Anne or George, ready for another adventure.

The cardboard cutout of lashings and lashings of ginger beer here is a genius touch from Instagram user @suzannahstar.

If you've got any toy dogs lying around, you can throw Timmy into the mix, too!

If your kid has a toy dog and a stripy t-shirt, they could go as Dave, the child who loses and finds again his favourite soft toy Dogger.

Got dancers in your family? Repurpose their leotards and dancing shoes so your kid can dress up as one of the Fossil sisters from this old classic.

For askers of big questions, and fans of the Ada Twist book and Netflix show.

Source a red and white spotty dress, like this one in @eden_mclemore's Instagram post. Then accessorise with a pair of rubber gloves (your yellow marigolds will do) and knee-high socks.

If you have any goggles for swimming or DIY projects, you could lend those to your kid. Otherwise, you could try a pair of toy glasses.

Get your kid to go as everyone's favourite forgetful cat with some grey and white stripy pyjamas – or you could use a grey stripy dress!

These instructions show you how to make an easy pair of cat ears.

This one's a little more ambitious, but great if you have some spare cardboard boxes that you haven't found time to recycle yet.

Use a pen knife to cut two holes for your kid's arms out of one cardboard box. Cut the dragon's mouth, where your child's face will go, out of a second cardboard box (not forgetting the jagged teeth). Stick both boxes together.

From more cardboard, cut out a jagged edge and stick it to the back of both boxes to make the dragon's tail.

To dress up as the aggressively spoiled Veruca Salt from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, your kid can put on any party dress or glitzy skirt and cardigan.

Print off a golden ticket and visitor pass to the Chocolate Factory. Twinkl has a great printable golden ticket template to get you started.

Draw on a monobrow in black or brown marker pen, backcomb your kid's hair, and voila! You have yourself a Mrs Twit from Roald Dahl's most awful couple.

Alternatively, stick some black wool on your kid's face to make Mr Twit's famously disgusting beard.

We've got more Roald Dahl character costume inspiration in this list.

Here's another great way to put your kid's stripy tops to use.

Cut out Dennis' wild curly hair from black card and stick it to your child's head with an Alice band. A little liquid eyeliner will help you get those thick black eyebrows too.

You can also use a red-and-black-striped jumper for Minnie the Minx; just add a black beret with a red pom-pom on top.

Got an orange top? Black and orange face paint? A plate of sandwiches to devour in one gulp? You can easily re-create the Tiger Who Came to Tea with these.

Dig out your old Halloween costumes and see if there's a witch's hat in the mix. You could combine it with your kid's school pinafore to make your own Mildred Hubble.

Use this guide from Book Aid International to make your Worst Witch costume.

Turn your kid into Wally or Wilma by painting red stripes onto a white top and beanie hat.

Follow this Book Aid International guide for more costume-making instructions.

Paper and pens are all you need to make these residents of the dark, dark house on a dark, dark street...

If you've got some black t-shirts and trousers going spare, you could paint a skeleton on them with white paint too, just like Instagram user @smels has done here.

We love this Darrell Rivers costume, posted by @northernnic to Instagram.

Cut out the school emblem and sash from orange fabric and tack it on to your kid's school pinafore.

Possibly the most classic World Book Day costume, and it's so easy to put together too.

Dress your kid up as Roald Dahl's telekinetic bookworm with a sweet summer dress, red hair ribbon and cardie. Don't forget a pile of books to carry too.

Scrap fabric and ribbon can be used to make a no-sew cloak, which is perfect for traditional stories like Little Red Riding Hood.

If you've got a wicker basket lying around, that'll really complete the look!

We love this take on Little Miss Inventor by Instagram user @dietitian.withadifference.

Cut a circle out from cardboard to make the face, dress your kid in a yellow cardigan and use wool for hair – simple!

You can do this for any of the Mr Men and Little Miss characters. Just cut the character's shape out of cardboard – a jagged outline for Mr Sneeze, for example, or a cloud for Mr Daydream – and find a t-shirt or jumper in the right colour.

Check out our guide to making a no-sew Mr Men costume.

This adorable rabbit burglar was put together by Netmums user Stephanie C(615).

Fetch a stripy top and trousers, then cut the burglar mask out of black card and tie it to your kid's head with elastic. Or just paint it on with black face paint.

Paddington Bear is instantly recognisable from his blue coat and red hat, so you can make a pretty convincing costume if you have either of those lying around the house.

Bonus points if you can find a jar of marmalade for your kid to take to school!

This is such a cute idea from Instagram user @ashton_skinmom.

Use these instructions to make a pair of bear ears, then fashion a cone hat out of red paper or card.

For any little girl who is a fan of maths or science, Rosie Revere is a great World Book Day icon.

Get your kid dressed up in a white dress and red and white spotted headscarf, like in this Instagram post from @littlehiccups.

Got a green XL t-shirt lying around? Cut some jagged edges off the sleeves and the bottom hem to make a Peter Pan tunic.

You could do some quick stitching to turn your fabric scraps into a basic hat too.

This paper cutout of Tintin's pet Snowy the Dog is a brilliant idea from Instagram user @mollysmumtextiles.

You can easily dress your kid up as the adventurous comic book character with a blue or green jumper, collared shirt and a little hair gel to make the quiff.

For an even simpler Peter Pan-themed costume, dress your kids up as the Lost Boys by sending them off to school in their pyjamas.

If you've got any Spidey pyjamas lying around, you can use them to re-create Marvel's Spider-Man comic books. Same goes for Superman and Batman PJs too!

If you have time, follow these instructions to make a superhero cape out of an old t-shirt.

Fish out your kid's dressing gown, shower cap and some grey tights to dress up as Mrs Large the elephant, who only wants five minutes' peace for a bath!

To make elephant ears like these ones by @kimgrant_ on Instagram, cut them out of grey and pink card and then glue together onto the back of the shower cap.