If you’ve ever had a child in primary school, you’ll know that Book Week tends to sneak up on you. One minute you’re packing lunchboxes and barking orders to “brush your teeth before bed,” and next you’re tucking them in as they casually drop the bombshell on you that BTW, they need a book week costume. Tomorrow. Cue the panic…and possibly the wine.

But Book Week doesn’t have to be a stress-fest. It’s about celebrating stories, sparking imagination, and giving kids the chance to step into the shoes of the characters they love — even if those shoes are just regular runners with a bit of cardboard stuck on!

Some mums spend weeks planning Pinterest-worthy outfits. Others (like me) prefer “What’s in the wardrobe and can be hot glued in 12 minutes.” Both are completely valid. What matters is that your child feels excited and included. And ideally, that you don’t lose your mind trying to pull it all together.

Easy Book Week Costumes You Probably Already Own

Let’s start with what’s easy, cheap and requires no sewing or sanity loss. Half the time, a Book Week costume is just a regular outfit with a little imagination.

Try these:

Matilda: Blue or plain dress, red ribbon in the hair, a few books to carry.

Alice: (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland) blue dress, white apron and headband

Where’s Wally: Red and white striped top, blue jeans, beanie, glasses.

Harry Potter: School uniform, scarf, round glasses, a stick wand, and you can draw a scar on their forehead in the shape of lightning bolt with an eyeliner pencil or face paint.

The Cat in the Hat: Black clothes, red bow tie, paper hat (which you can make from printer paper and decorate in a pinch).

Little Red Riding Hood: red hoodie or cape, basket with snacks.

Dog Man: Blue t-shirt with yellow badge drawn on, face paint nose.

Super Lazy (Genius) Last-Minute Costumes

Short on time? We’ve all been there. Here are some “I remembered at bedtime” level ideas that you can pull off last minute with some simple props:

Everyday Kid + Book: Just carry the book! The Very Hungry Caterpillar in jeans and green shirt is still iconic.

“Pyjama Day” But Make it Book Week: Go as a character from a bedtime story (e.g. Goodnight Moon, The Sleep Book, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt). Justify those jammies.

Sports Uniform + Book: Got a soccer kit? They’re now a character from any sports-themed book. Think Sam Kerr: Kicking Goals, by Sam Kerr and Fiona Harris, Tiny Timmy (series) by Tim Cahill, Specky Magee (series) by Felice Arena and Gary Lyon.

Cardboard Sign Costumes: create a sandwich board from two pieces of cardboard and string them together over your child shoulders, decorating the front and back with drawings, printouts or quotes from their favourite book. It’s perfect for characters where the story or the concept is more iconic than the outfit—think Pig the Pug, the Very Cranky Bear, Diary of a Wombat, Possum Magic and The Wrong Book.

DIY Book Week Costumes to Make Together

If you’ve got a little extra time (or a child who’s super keen), use this as a moment to get creative. Think cardboard, hot glue, and some fun, messy time spent together.

Wings, tails, crowns, shields: all possible with an empty cereal box, some paint and some string.

Face paint + outfit combo: Lion, tiger, witch, Gruffalo…all transformable with some cheap face paint.

DIY accessories: A lightning bolt scar for Harry, a pocket watch for the White Rabbit, or a homemade magnifying glass for a junior detective like Harriet the Spy or Mac B from Kid Spy.

I highly recommend getting your kids involved — it turns the costume-making into memory making, and it also means you can blame them if it looks weird. (Just kidding…kind of!)

Real Mum Hacks to Save Your Sanity

Because we know you’re already busy doing all of the things, here are a few handy shortcuts worth keeping in your back pocket if things really start to hit the proverbial fan.

Face paint covers a multitude of sins: Forgot the ears? Just draw on a nose and some whiskers and call it a mouse, cat or any other animal that fits the description. Green face? Witch. Red nose? Clown. Brown face? Gruffalo, bear or wombat. A bit of face paint and a lot of confidence can turn almost any outfit into a costume — especially when you’ve been given minimal prior notice!

Double up: If you have multiple kids, go for a theme. Think Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the Three Little Pigs, or Peter Pan and Tinkerbell.

Op shop goldmines: Pick up a tutu, a cape, or a random pirate hat for next to nothing.

Keep a Book Week Box: Start chucking in bits and pieces each year so you’re not scrambling every time.

Easy Book Week Costume Ideas for Siblings or Groups

Make it a family affair (if you’re up for it):

The Wizard of Oz: Dorothy, Lion Scarecrow — great for siblings or drag Dad into it too.

Where is the Green Sheep? One person is the Green Sheep, and other dress as other characters e.g. Red Sheep (red clothes or scarf, Blue Sheep (blue hat or shirt), Wave Sheep (beach towel and sunnies, etc)

Too Many Pears: One child as Pamela the pear-loving cow (cow ears, brown clothes) and everyone else as giant pears (green t-shirts with felt leaves).

The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Food Items: one child is the caterpillar, the others can be strawberries, pickles or cake slices. Adorable and hilarious.

Fairy Tale Mix-Up: Each kid picks a different classic — Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks, Jack (from the Beanstalk) and so on.

Book Week Ideas for Teachers

This is not just a mum zone, we see you too teachers!

If you’re a teacher reading this and you’ve been roped into dressing up, may we suggest:

Ms. Fizzle: (The Magic School Bus)  wild dress, chaotic energy, and science facts. Nailed it!

Miss Honey: (Matilda) sweet, soft, kind…with a cardigan.

The Paper Bag Princess: wear a paper bag (or brown top), crown, done!

The Day the Crayons Quit: dress in one colour head-to-toe and wear a matching cone hat. Label yourself e.g. “Red Crayon: Overworked and Underappreciated.”

The Book Fairy: wings, tutu, and a wand. Sprinkle “reading magic” everywhere.

Professor McGonagall: (Harry Potter) cape, black clothes, glasses, stern expression optional.

The Witch: (Room on the Broom) – witch hat, broom, and stuffed animal friends stuck on your shoulder.

Possum Magic – grey clothes and some Aussie food items stuck to you e.g. vegemite, pavlova, lamingtons).

Edward the Emu – feather boa, grey top and a “sick of the zoo” sign

Treehouse Teacher: (13-Storey Treehouse) – Go wild with props, attach plastic sharks, bananas, a fake cat…the sillier the better.

Just remember, whether your creation is Pinterest-worthy or whipped up in a panic, your child will remember the fun of stepping into their classroom dressed as someone from a world they love.

So, give yourself a break, do what you can, and don’t forget to snap a photo before the face-paint smears and the cardboard sword breaks.

Explore other popular topics: