World Book Day ideas 2025: Costumes for babies, children and even grown-ups

If you're after adorable baby world book day costume ideas, we think this dog costume is the perfect choice for little ones, especially if their favourite book is 101 Dalmations. It's available in sizes 6-9 months and 9-12 months. The black and white spotted all-in-one comes with a soft hat to keep your tot warm. One reviewer describes it as an excellent costume and posted a photo of the baby wearing the dalmation costume, and their older sibling wearing a Cruella one – very cute!

More a play on words than an actual character, but this costume is inspired by the Avocado Baby book written by John Burningham. It's a super sweet costume idea, available in sizes 0-6 months, 6-12 months and 12-18 months, and as a bonus it's a cosy romper. One reviewer points out that the tights in the picture aren't actually included with the purchase, which they said was a shame as they hadn't realised until it was delivered. Otherwise, they said, "it's alright and will serve its purpose for a fruit themed party my wee one is attending. The fit is good... a little large on my now 7 month old, but it'll definitely still fit her when she's 12 months old, so it is sized correctly, which is a winner."

How adorable is this lion costume? Not only will your baby will look incredible as the Cowardly Lion, but imagine how fun it'll be if you dressed the whole family as characters from The Wizard of OZ. The costume comes in parts made from soft materials with the lion face hood, a jumpsuit with tail, a red bow and matching paw booties, and it's available in sizes 0-6 months, 6-12 months, 12-24 months and 2-3 years. One reviewer pointed out; "Used this for my babies first Halloween costume. He was 4 months and I bought 0-6 months. Was a little big around the neck and the head piece was too big but he still looked cute"

With giant 3D ears and covered in beautiful, bright patchwork colours, this very cute Elmer costume will make sure your baby stands out at play group. It's available in sizes 9-12 months and is an all in one design that also comes complete with a cosy hood with ear features. One reviewer shared, "So cute! Sizes were spot on - granddaughter happy to wear it all day. Very well made." Although one thing to note is that the material is quite thin and so this is a hand-wash only garment.

Who doesn't love the Hungry Caterpillar? We love kids world book day costumes that are easy to wear, and this sweet costume is an apron-style design, so it can be layered over your childs own clothes. It's available in sizes 18-36 months, 3-5 years, and 6-8 years. One customer said, "This is by far the best quality caterpillar costume u can find on Amazon. Body is nice and padded and made with different materials to add texture to the costume. I’m so happy I bought this early for world book my son wont take it off. I’ve already referred to mums to this item that’s how pleased I am."

Add some Disney magic to World Book Day with this beautiful princess Snow White dress. It has a comfortable cotton bodice with round neckline and short puff sleeves but the dress isn't stretchy. There is a mesh skirt overlay and pretty red bow headband – this costume will also be perfect for any first fancy dress parties. It's available in sizes 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months, 9-12 months and 12-18 months. One review said, "I got this outfit for my daughter (5 months old) and to say she was complimented on it is an understatement. It was so refreshing to get an outfit other than the usual pumpkin or skeleton ones. The colours are super vibrant and I paired it with some yellow tights as it was cold."

An all-in-one costume that can be worn as the Tiger from the popular book, The Tiger Who Came to Tea or Shere Khan from Jungle Book. It's a zip design so it's easy to wear, and there's enough room for some light clothing underneath. Available in sizes 4-6 years, 7-9 years, 10-12 years and 12-14 years.

One review said, "My 6 year old son wanted to go as Shere Khan from the jungle book on world book day. I ordered age 6-8 as my son is slim but tall. He was really happy with it when it arrived and I was pleased that it fit perfectly with plenty of room to wear a t-shirt and shorts underneath as it is on the thin side. The tail was a little too long but overall it was a great costume. It washed really well in the washing machine on a gentle cycle and the eyes/nose didn't come off."

The tail attaches with velcro which might be annoying if it comes off, but also gives the flexibility to wear without if the tail feels too long for your child

You can't go wrong with a Harry Potter costume! Everyone's favourite wizard is a great choice for a costume for World Book Day, but just be warned there will probably be more than one little wizard running around your child's school! This costume comes in a good variety of sizes, including 5-6 years, 7-8 years, 9-10 years and 11-12 years. We like that it can be worn with the child's own clothes and that it's easy to get on and off. One review said, "Great quality costume. Fit my son perfectly and he loved the wand and glasses too. The tie has an elastic tie back with velcro, really handy for children."

Expect all kinds of mischief when they put on this Fantastic Mr Fox costume. Mr Fox is always a dapper chap, so this outfit consists of a jacket, neckerchief and mask. It’s all very smart but it’s comfortable, too. Plus, the jacket comes with faux fur chest. The costume is available in sizes 3-4 years and 5-6 years. One review said: "Good quality fancy dress - I bought this for World Book Day. Fits well and the material is of good quality. There is just one overcoat that has the waistcoat and the fur stitched onto it. The cravat and the mask are separate - the cravat attaches with a velcro seal. The only let-down is the mask - my kid is unable to wear the mask over glasses and has to take off the glasses while wearing the mask."

As soon as you see those big ears, it’s easy to guess who this outfit is supposed to be. Change little kids into Big Friendly Giants with an impressive headband as well as comfy trousers, a top complete with waist coat design and dream trumpet. The costime is available in sizes 7-9 years, 10-12 years and 12+ years. One review said, "I bought this costume for my Son to wear to school for Roald Dahl Day. He looked absolutely brilliant in it! Bought a brown hooded cape to go with, which finished off the costume outfit perfectly. Great quality, value for money, and easy to wear." Some say the ears may be more fragile though.

This Peter Rabbit outfit comprises of the rabbit’s trademark blue jacket, but the good news is that the costume is an all-in-one so there’s no chance of losing anything at the bottom of the dressing up box. This means the hood also comes attached and is made from a soft fleece to keep your little ones cosy and looking cute! Available in sizes 4-6 years and 7-9 years, One review said, "Lovely outfit for world book day. We went for the smaller size as by little boy is a small age 6 year old. It fitted him Lovely." Some did mention that the tail is a little loose.

Let your kids delve right into the weird and wonderful world of Dr Seuss with this Cat In The Hat outfit. This cosy velour all-in-one really brings the character to life and comes with a striped top hat and an oversized removable bow tie. It was mentioned that the hat can be a bit big, but the costume is available in a good variety of sizes, from 3-4 years, 4-6 years, 6-8 years, 8-10 years, 10-12 years and 12-14 years. One reviewer said: "My little one absolutely loved this, great feel and fit. Overall great value when you need a last minute world book day costume."

Ideal for the dads that want to get involved, this Mad Hatter costume from Alice in Wonderland comes with the jacket, trousers and hat to make the perfect Mad Hatter look!

Mums can join in on the fun with this practically perfect Mary Poppins costume. The long dress also comes with the iconic daisy hat to make sure you're the best dressed grown-up on World Book Day. One review said: "I'm 6ft tall and this costume is ideal. The skirt is very long and jacket sleeves too. It arrived quite creased but easy to iron. I had many compliments and will definitely be wearing again for another occasion hopefully."

This Where's Wally? Wenda costume will have you joining in on the fun. You could be a teacher or a parent who just wants to celebrate World Book Day, and if you love creativity and enjoyed trying to find Wally in the books, then this is for you. One review said, "This was a gimmick fancy dress outfit for my husband's brother's stag do!! The outfit was slightly big so would recommend ordering smaller if ordered for a man!! Excellent condition, came with long sleeve shirt, glasses, hat and skirt and made all the stags laugh their heads off!! Good party or fancy dress outfit would highly recommend." Keep in mind that, as one review mentioned, the skirt might be slightly transparent.