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Kids World Book Day Costumes
Our kids' World Book Day costumes turn your child into a storybook character, with fancy dress from Alice in Wonderland to a Victorian detective and a school wizard. Sizes run by age from 4 to 14 years, and all of our kids' products are safety tested by accredited labs.
Learn more about our kids' World Book Day costumes
Which Storybook Character Fits the Day
The seven costumes below stick to characters from well-known stories: Alice and the Queen of Hearts from Wonderland, Goldilocks and Little Red Riding Hood from the fairy tales, and a Victorian detective, a storybook nanny, and a school wizard. For a fairy tale princess or witch instead, our kids' fairy tale costumes page has more, and for a class history topic such as the Tudors, try our kids' historical costumes. Teachers dressing up too can see our World Book Day costumes for teachers, and the wizard and Red Riding Hood costumes here both double up as kids' Halloween costumes in October.
Our Favourite World Book Day Character Costumes
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The Girls Traditional Alice in Wonderland Costume keeps to the familiar Alice look: a blue dress, white pinafore apron, and matching bow headband, running Small (4-6yrs) to X-Large (12-14yrs). |
For solving crimes in Victorian London, the Kids Victorian Detective Costume pairs a jacket and attached tartan cape with a deerstalker-style hat, sized Small through X-Large (4 to 14 years). |
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Layer the Boys Wizard Cape Costume with Wand straight over school clothes: a hooded black cape and a wand, in Small to X-Large (4 to 14 years). |
Our Girls Storybook Victorian Nanny Costume has the ruffled shirt insert attached to the jacket, so there are three pieces to get on before school: the jacket, a long skirt, and a hat, Small to X-Large. |
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Next to the Alice above, the Girls Queen of Hearts Costume makes a Wonderland pair for siblings or friends: a long-sleeved velour dress in a red, black, and white heart print, Small (4-6yrs) to X-Large (10-12yrs). |
Three bears optional: the Girls Goldilocks Costume is a yellow dress with an attached apron, plus a headband, running Small (4-6yrs) to Large (10-12yrs), its largest size. |
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Heading into the woods calls for the Girls Little Red Riding Hood Costume, a dress with a checked apron front and a red hooded cape, Small to X-Large (4 to 14 years). |
Sizes and What's in the Box
All seven are sized by age. Five of them run Small (4 to 6 years) to X-Large (12 to 14 years); the Goldilocks costume stops at Large (10 to 12 years), and the Queen of Hearts dress uses its own bands, Small (4 to 6 years) to X-Large (10 to 12 years), so check the size chart on the product page before ordering. Every costume goes through over 30 measurement checks, and all of our kids' products are safety tested by accredited labs. Each pack includes the pieces named above; shoes and face paint are not included. Fabric pieces take a cold hand wash and an air dry.
Frequently asked questions
When is World Book Day?
World Book Day in the UK falls on the first Thursday in March each year. Your child's school may hold its dress-up day on a different date, so check the school newsletter.
What's a good World Book Day costume idea?
Start with a book your child has read, or had read to them, and let them choose the character. Characters with one clear visual clue are quick to recognise: Alice's white apron, the detective's deerstalker-style hat, or Red Riding Hood's red cape.
Does a World Book Day costume have to be shop-bought?
No. A homemade outfit put together from clothes you already have is a perfectly good World Book Day costume, and a shop-bought one like those above saves the evening you would spend making it. If you're unsure what your school expects, check its own note.
Does the costume have to be based on a book rather than a film?
Some schools ask for a character from a book rather than a film or TV show. Alice in Wonderland, Little Red Riding Hood, and Goldilocks were all in books long before any film, so each one fits either way. If your child has their heart set on a film character, check your school's own guidance first.
What size should I choose for a kids' World Book Day costume?
Go by age first: on most of the costumes above, Small covers 4 to 6 years, Medium 7 to 9, Large 10 to 12, and X-Large 12 to 14. The Queen of Hearts dress runs its own age bands, so check the size chart on each product page, and size up if your child is tall for their age.
