Easy Last Minute Book Week Costume Ideas for Busy Parents
Simplify Book Week with these easy costume ideas for time-poor parents.
It’s that time of year again with Book Week fast approaching the thought of creating a costume can make some of us feel “ARGH!”. That’s why we’ve put together these easy, last-minute book character costume ideas that are quick, affordable, and simple to put together. So, you can save some time, stress and last-minute panic with your kid's book week costume this year.
As parents we know that between work, school runs, and everyday life with kids, finding time and motivation to create an elaborate costume is nearly impossible. We have included book week costume ideas that use items you may already have at home or can easily assemble without a full day craft workout or too many trips to the shops!
We have put our book week costume ideas into 3 categories depending on your last-minute situation;
- Keeping it Plain and Simple – costume ideas for kids who don’t love to dress up
- Easy Costume Ideas With a Prop - for kids who have a dress up box / some props
- Super Easy Book Week Costumes - with a touch of craft
We have included some book suggestions to go with each costume idea. Some are specific to that particular book, while others are more general and could be used across a range of books of that theme/genre. You can use these as inspiration to use a book you might already have that fits the costume theme/genre.
Keeping it Plain and Simple – costume ideas for kids who don’t love to dress up
When you need a book week costume idea for kids who don’t love to dress up and would rather be in everyday clothes. These ideas all use general items of clothing you are likely to already have in the house.
Plain Clothes;
- Hey Jack or Billie B Brown by Sally Rippin
- Thank you for Me by Marion Dane Bauer (or any books about being yourself)
Beach Clothes;
- Magic Beach by Alison Lester
Sports Kit/Player Shirt;
- Tiny Timmy by Tim Cahill
- Kicking Goals by Sam Kerr
- Little Ash by Ash Bardy
Pyjamas
- Llamas in Pyjamas by Matt Cosgrove (there is a free printable mask on his website HERE)
- Time for Bed by Mem Fox
- The Midnight Gang by David Walliams
Easy Costume Ideas With a Prop - for kids who have a dress up box / some props
When your kids do want to dress up but don’t want to be over the top, or you just need something quick and easy. These book week costume ideas use everyday items of clothing with a simple prop, or common items you may already have in a dress up box.
Plain clothes with props;
- Fern from Charlotte’s Web – overalls or jeans and a shirt with a toy pig or spider
- Matilda by Roald Dahl – dress and cardigan and a book
- Harry and the bucket full of Dinosaurs by Ian Whybrow – everyday cloths with some dinosaur toys in a bucket (if you have one)
- The Book with No Pictures by B.J Novak – White top (with words stuck to it)
- The Oxford Dictionary – as above
- Zac Power by H.I.Larry /Alex Rider by Anthony Horowitz any Spy/ Detective Book – add a notepad, dark glasses or a badge.
- Ninja Kid by Anh Do – green top with a mask/ piece of blue fabric with holes for eyes
- The Twits by Roald Dahl - Crazy hair & mismatches clothes
- Ryan McNaught (Brickman) – any Lego book – Lego shirt/bucket of Lego bricks/attach Lego to a shirt
- George’s Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl – pot or container with some empty plastic containers or bright things inside (use tissue paper, card, pompoms, small bit of fabric etc) and a big spoon.
- Wolf Girl by Anh Do – dark clothes with a backpack and toy dog/wolf
- Mr Bump - Blue Clothes - Bandaged head and middle
-
Little Miss Sunshine - Yellow Clothes - pigtails
Witches Hat
- Room on the Broom by Axel Scheffler and Julia Donaldson
- The Wizard of Oz
Pirate Hat
- I wish I had a Pirate Suit by Pamela Allen
High Vis Vest
- Any construction/digger book – add a digger toy
Butterfly Wings
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Unicorn Horn
- Thelma The Unicorn by Aaron Blabey
Grandma (if you have an outfit leftover from 100 days of school!)
- Gangsta Granny by David Walliams
- Grannies Don’t Fart by Lisa Regan
Super Easy Book Week Costumes - with a touch of craft
If you have a little time and access to supplies for some simple craft (with paper / cardboard) check out these great costume ideas for inspiration.
Charlie Bucket from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Make a gold ticket from gold cardboard
Max from Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak - White clothes with a Gold cardboard crown
No One Likes a Fart by Zoe Foster Blake - Cloud shaped brown cardboard with a face
Don’t Let the Pidgeon’s Drive The Bus by Mo Willems - Use a paper plate with an eye and beak for a a simple mask
Andy from the Treehouse book series - Draw/ print out a mask
I Spy style books - Attach pictures or random objects to a plain outfit
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney - Draw / print out a mask
Mr Men/Little Miss Books - Coloured Cardboard to make the shape cutout and draw on a face
Finding a book week costume doesn't have to be stressful, even with a busy schedule. By using everyday clothes, pyjamas or sportswear, repurposing items you already own, or embracing simple crafts, you can create a fun and imaginative costume for you child’s book week parade this year.
Need some more detailed ideas with photos of what other parents have put together? Type any of the above ideas into Pinterest for more inspiration.
Ready to make costume prep even easier? Check out our printable crown, and elf hat template for an easy addition to your Book Week costume!
