There are loads of characters your daughter can dress as for World Book Day – and they don’t always have to be princesses! Check out our favourite WBD costume ideas for girls.
World Book Day character costume ideas for girls
World Book Day is a great time to think about all the amazing girl characters there are in your kids’ favourite books. You’ve got your adventurous classics like Alice in Wonderland and Matilda, or more modern icons like Katniss Everdeen and Rosie Revere. And who could forget such glamorous villains as The Queen of Hearts or Cruella de Vil?
- 100+ World Book Day costume ideas
- Easy World Book Day costumes for adults
- More WBD inspiration
If you've been scratching your head for the perfect fictional character for your daughter to dress up as, take a look at our list of World Book Day costume ideas for girls below.
1. Mildred Hubble
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Is there a more relatable book character than everyone's favourite accident prone witch?
Fetch any witch's hats, broomsticks and cauldrons from old Halloween costumes, and pair with your kid's school uniform to bring to life The Worst Witch.
2. Rosie Revere, Engineer
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A great story about putting yourself out there even when you're scared, perfect for STEM fans and budding scientists!
You just need a red and white spotted head scarf and a plain white dress for this one, as shown by Instagram user @littlehiccups.
3. Little Orphan Annie
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An icon for redheads everywhere. Dress your little one in a red dress with a white collar and hemmed sleeves. If they don't already have ginger hair, add a red curly wig.
A toy dog called Sandy completes the look.
4. Coraline
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A blue wig is essential for this costume based on Neil Gaiman's creepy short story, as demonstrated here by @sophia.alghanim on Instagram.
Throw in a yellow rain mac with wellies and, if you have a pair, some star patterned trousers.
You could face paint a button around each eye if you have time, too!
5. Veruca Salt from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
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To dress up as the spoilt little girl who cheats her way into Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, you'll want a nice dress, a golden ticket printout and a large lollipop to hold.
6. The Story of Tracy Beaker
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This Jacqueline Wilson classic is a great option for a last minute World Book Day costume.
Just dress your kid in a red top and denim skirt or trousers, like in this post by @miapatelandleopatel on Instagram. Then backcomb their hair to mimic Tracy Beaker's wild curls.
7. Matilda
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This is another easy costume. Fish out a cardie and a cute dress for your little one, then tie a red ribbon in their hair.
A big pile of books is a must too!
8. The Little Prince's love, The Rose
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The Little Prince is up there as one of the most read children's books of all time, and The Rose makes a great costume choice for little girls.
All you need is a pretty pink dress, preferably with a tulle skirt, and a bouquet of roses to accessorise.
(Make sure the roses don't have any thorns left on them before handing them to your kid.)
9. Miss Spider from James and the Giant Peach
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Miss Spider is the ultimate glam costume. Start with a black and white dress and a chic bob.
Stuff three pairs of tights to make six spider legs, then attach them to the dress. These instructions for making animal tails will help you with the legs.
Use face paint to add super stylish black lips and smoky eyes.
10. Maisy Mouse
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This is a fab Maisy Mouse mask, made by @burcinandmunchkins on Instagram, and it's so easy to make!
Just cut the whiskers out of pink card and the nose out of black card, then stick them on to a lollipop stick for your child to hold.
11. The Fossil sisters from Ballet Shoes
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If you've got any ballet dancers in the family, you could use their dancing kit to dress your kids up as Pauline, Petrova or Posy Fossil from Ballet Shoes.
You can also make a no-sew tutu if you don't have any ballet clothes going spare.
12. Lola Sonner from Charlie and Lola
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We love this 2D recreation of the Charlie and Lola books!
If you've got loads of cardboard lying around, try cutting it out and painting it to look like Lola's pinafore or the adorable dog Sizzles.
13. Darrell Rivers from Malory Towers
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If you've got some orange fabric, you can put together a great Malory Towers costume, just like this one that @northernnic posted to Instagram.
First get a school pinafore and bowler hat, then embellish with an orange school crest, waist sash, tie and bow for the hat.
14. Cruella de Vil from The Hundred and One Dalmatians
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This costume that @fifial posted to Instagram is adorable!
Put your kid in a black and white spotty dress, or make a no-sew cape and draw on the spots with black marker pen, to get Cruella's fabulous coat.
For the distinctive black and white hair style, use black hair spray or mascara – just check on the label that the product is safe for children first!
15. Gangsta Granny
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Get your kid dressed up in typical granny fashion – think a warm cardie, tea dress, tortoiseshell specs, and fake pearls.
Then give the outfit a "gangsta" twist with a burglar mask.
16. The Queen of Hearts from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
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You can make an elaborate gown for Alice in Wonderland's glamorous villain with surprisingly little effort.
These step-by-step instructions show you have to make a Queen of Hearts dress. You'll need lots of black and red tulle, a black top and, of course, a pack of cards.
17. Ada from Ada Twist, Scientist
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A brilliant story for curious girls – and we love this Ada Twist costume by Instagram user @eden_mclemore!
Pair your yellow marigolds with a red and white spotty dress, then source some science goggles to make your kid look like they've just come from the lab (you can buy some relatively easily from most DIY stores, or swimming goggles might do in a pinch!).
18. Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games
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Find out on Pinterest how to make Katniss Everdeen's signature weapon using an old Pringle pot and plastic bow and arrows.
Tie your kid's hair into a sideways plait and put them in a cagoule and jeans to finish dressing up as District 12's unlikely hero.
19. The Grand High Witch
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This is a fab costume idea for dressing up the villainous leader of Roald Dahl's The Witches.
Draw the Grand High Witch's face on a piece of card and attach to a lollipop stick to make a mask. Put your kid in a purple dress with a handbag – and make sure you remember those all important gloves!
You'll find more Roald Dahl character costume ideas in this list.
20. Hermione Granger at Hogwarts
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You only need some black and red fabric to turn an ordinary school uniform into one for witches and wizards!
Follow these instructions to make some wizard robes worthy of a Gryffindor. Add a toy ginger cat and you have your Hermione!
21. Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
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Harry Potter's loveable kook Luna Lovegood is loads of fun to dress up as.
The key thing is to aim for a pattern clash. Mix a vintage cardigan with stripy tights, a tartan skirt and a paisley top.
Then, accessorise with Luna's wacky glasses and butterbeer necklace!
Find out how to make these Luna accessories from artsyfartsymama.com
22. Pippi Longstocking
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Stitch or glue some patches onto a dungaree pinafore and add a bright coloured t-shirt and stripy socks. Don't forget Pippi's two distinctive hair bunches too!
23. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
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This is such a brilliant idea from Instagram user @notspidermansmj.
Use a pen knife to cut windows and doors out of a cardboard box and paint it to look like the White Rabbit's house.
Dress your kid up in an Alice in Wonderland dress (follow these instructions to make your own), then get them to wear your homemade house over the top.
24. Narnia's White Witch
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To make the White Witch's icicle crown like this one by @stitchitmama on Instagram, craft some spiky cones out of white card and stick them onto a white hairband.
For the gown, glue some wintery silver gems and sequins onto a white dress.
25. Hetty Feather
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Another one for Jacqueline Wilson fans!
To dress up as Hetty the Victorian foundling, pair a white apron and hat with a long brown dress (or you can use a brown top and skirt instead).
Here's a great example of a Hetty Feather costume on Pinterest.
26. Dorothy from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
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A gingham summer school dress will do for this costume, as shown here by @hungermama on Instagram. Add in some ruby red slippers and a wicker basket and you've got your Dorothy!
We've got more tips on dressing up as Dorothy in this guide.
27. Mary Poppins
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If your kid has a white shirt and black skirt handy from school, you could combine them with a black hat, handbag and umbrella to make your Mary Poppins.
28. Winnie the Witch
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We love this Winnie the Witch costume from Instagram user @becky__wesley!
To make the hat, roll a piece of card into a tall cone and decorate with stars and stripes of different coloured card.
Find a pair of stripy tights and pair with a blue dress. If you have a toy black cat, be sure to add that too and name it Wilbur.
29. Harriet Manners from Geek Girl
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To dress up as geek-turned-model Harriet, you only need to write the words "Geek" and "Girl" on the lenses of a pair of toy specs.
30. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck
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Use yellow card to make your duck bill and tie it round your child's head with elastic.
Add Jemima's distinctive pink floral shawl and a blue bonnet to complete your puddle-duck.
31. Snow White
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Loads of your kid's favourite Disney films actually started out as Brothers Grimm fairy tales, which makes them a perfect option for World Book Day.
This step-by-step guide shows you how to make a Snow White costume at home. Or you could try Red Riding Hood or Beauty and the Beast.
32. The Little Mermaid
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Another fairy tale you might like to try is Hans Christian Anderson's The Little Mermaid.
Follow these instructions to make your own Ariel costume from a swimming costume, tulle and stick on gems.
33. Effie Trinket
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You can have loads of fun recreating Capitol fashion trends from The Hunger Games.
This butterfly dress is a great effort from @claire_mullord on Instagram.
34. Angelina Ballerina
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Another great costume for if your kid does ballet.
Make an Angelina mask out of white card (with some pink card glued on for the ears) and wear with a pink leotard and tutu.
If you don't have the right dance kit at home, you can make a no sew tutu with these instructions.
35. Miss Root from Demon Dentist
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Mum @emmafayveld has gone all out with this impressive Demon Dentist costume!
Use an old Pringles tube to make Miss Root's scary syringe. You'll find the white doctor's coat in most costume shops (or just use an old white shirt), then all you need is a little face paint to finish.
36. Ruby Redfort
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Code breaker, gadget wielder and 13-year-old schoolgirl Ruby Redfort is BORED BEYOND BELIEF – write her slogan on a big white t-shirt and your costume is ready!
37. Little Misses
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These Little Miss sandwich boards are so simple and effective.
Draw and cut your character's face out of two giant pieces of card, then attach them to two shoulder straps for your kid to wear.
If you'd rather use fabric, follow these instructions to make a no-sew tabard instead.
38. Goldilocks and the three bears
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This is a nice easy one for kids with long blonde locks.
Send your child to school in a pretty dress with their hair loose. They could carry a pot of porridge or a toy bear too, like in this Instagram post by @danielle_mannion.
39. Mrs Twit
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Roald Dahl's nasty Mrs Twit is a great costume for kids who like to get messy. Draw on a monobrow and a snaggle tooth or two with black eyeliner, then backcomb your kid's hair.
Add a cardboard walking stick and some creased up clothes to match.
40. Rowan Oakwing, a London fairy tale
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Cut some oak leaf shapes out of yellow and orange card and glue them together to make these adorable fairy wings.
Make some straps out of elastic and give to your kid to wear with a white summer dress, like in this costume made by @edjclarke on Instagram.
41. Poppy, Queen of the Pop Trolls
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Does your kid love the DreamWorks film Trolls?
Well, then they'll be thrilled to learn that there's a book series too, so this costume totally counts on World Book Day.
42. Tinkerbell
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Tinkerbell is a cute and simple costume to put together for World Book Day, and little girls will love it!
Here's an example of an easy Tinkerbell costume we found on Pinterest.
Get the look:
- You'll need a green dress or tabard (you can cut the hem into triangles if you like for more of an an elf-look)
- You can buy a pair of fairy wings or cut some out of card and use elastic so your child can wear them.
- Pull their hair up into a high top-knot.
- For added cuteness, add pompoms to their shoes!
43. Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss
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We love this fun example of a Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss costume we found on Pinterest
You can easily make a fox costume ...
- You'll need to wear a reddish-orange outfit or Pjs (a T-shirt and leggings will do!)
- Make fox ears with cardboard and a headband
- Don't forget a bushy fox tail – raid mum's wardrobe for a fluffy scarf or get creative with orange tissue paper
- Finish off the look with some blue socks – for the full effect you'll need two pairs, one for your feet and one for your hands, because Foxes have 4 paws!
44. The Very Hungry Caterpillar Butterfly
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Girls will really enjoy painting these colourful rainbow wings cut from cardboard.
You can make a bug head too, just cut your design out of card and fix it onto a headband.
Check out this version on Pinterest.
45. In My Heart Book costume
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This is such a lovely costume idea to celebrate 'In My Heart: A book of feelings'
We love how simple this design is from Pinterest. Just draw this beautiful rainbow-coloured heart onto a big piece of sturdy card and attach a string so you child can wear it around their neck.
How lovely!
46. Three Little Pigs
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These matching costumes for The Three Little Pigs are perfect for sisters or besties!
We love this example from Pinterest with the girls learning the ballet leotards, but your kids could wear anything they have that's pink!
The ears and noses are easily made using card, a headband and some elastic – and don't forget to attach a curly piggy tail too – you can cut a spiral from an empty loo roll and paint it pink!
47. Paddington Bear costume
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If you've got the following items in your child's wardrobe then you'll be able to put this easy Pinterest costume together for World Book Day
Paddington Bear costume Checklist:
- Red hat
- Blue coat
- Yellow Boots
Just add the cardboard tag and P.B. bag, and you're done!
48. Big Hair, Don't Care
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Well, it's not really a costume, but we love this 'Big Hair, Don't Care' look from madeformums.com ...
...So if your child has a natural afro, comb it out, pop in a ribbon and dig out a pink vest top or T-shirt and let her strut her stuff!
49. 101 Dalmations costume
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Dress your kid all in white and add black spots for a Dalmatian look (if you've got spotty PJ's, a top or Dalmatian onesie, even better!)
Make some spotty puppy ears – you can make them our of felt or card and stick them onto a headband.
Finish the look off with some facepaint like this example we found from Pinterest
50.
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Make your own Alice in Wonderland playing card costume with this apron-style look we found on Pinterest.
If you're handy with a sewing machine, this could easily be whipped together.
Alternatively you could make a similar costume using two pieces of card for the front and back, decorated to look like playing cards, attached with string and worn on the shoulders.
51. Dictionary costume
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What a simple – but extremely clever – costume idea for World Book Day!
We found this on Pinterest, and the girl has simply written words from the dictionary all over a plain white T-shirt, with the word 'Dictionary' highlighted in red.
If you're stuck for ideas, and you have an old white top, give this one a go!
How to dress up as Matilda for World Book Day?
Dressing up as Matilda is all about nailing that mischievous yet adorable bookworm look – and it's super easy too! Grab a navy blue dress (the quintessential Matilda uniform) and pair it with a red ribbon in the hair because, let's face it, it's all about the details. Don't forget to arm your little one with a stack of books. After all, Matilda's love for reading is legendary. Just think simple, smart, and a tad rebellious - perfect for your little genius at home ready to take on the world, or at least World Book Day!
What can my child be for World Book Day?
Oh, the possibilities are endless! Think outside the book box – from the brave Katniss Everdeen, armed with her trusty bow and arrow, to the cunningly smart Hermione Granger, complete with her wand and Hogwarts robe. Or, dive into the classics with characters like Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz," sporting her iconic blue gingham dress and ruby slippers. Remember, the best character is one your child loves and feels excited about, so let their imagination run wild!
What is the best kids' outfit for World Book Day?
The best outfit for World Book Day is the one that gets your kiddo all excited about their favorite book! It's not just about the costume; bringing their beloved character to life is a big part of it, too. Whether it's the elaborate feathers of the Wicked Witch or the simplicity of Paddington Bear with his red hat and blue coat, the best outfit will light up your child's face with joy and pride. Think of characters your little one will appreciate, and you've got the best outfit nailed down.
What is the easiest costume for World Book Day for girls and boys?
For those last-minute panic moments or when simplicity is key, think of characters with easily recognizable traits. A 'Where's Wally?' outfit can be quickly put together with a red and white striped shirt, a beanie, and glasses. Or, how about a very hungry caterpillar with a green outfit and some red face paint? The easiest costume is one that starts with what you already have at home and requires minimal effort, but still brings a whole lot of fun to World Book Day!
Tips for World Book Day costumes and clothes
- Start with what you can find
- Look through EVERYONE'S wardrobes
- Think about sleepwear
- Adapt a PE kit or sports kit
- Adapt a school uniform
- Think no-sew
- Start with accessories
- Think Hunger Games
- Think Disney
- Get creative with card
- Raid the recycling
- Steal someone else's ideas
- Swap with friends
- Start with a striped jumper
- Start with a mask
- Start with an animal costume
- Customise last year's outfit
- The golden rule ... Find out what the golden rule is and get more details and tips on all of the ideas above on our Tips for easy World Book Day costumes page!
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- 42 Easy World Book Day costumes for boys 2024
What other characters could your little one dress as for World Book Day? Check our ideas below, or ask other parents for costume inspo in our forum.
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