World Book Day ideas for a costume that your kid will love

Why we love it: Who didn't love the story of The Wizard of Oz growing up? This super sweet costume will transform any little one into Dorothy in no time at all and they'll be excited at the idea of packing up their favourite stuffed toy to play Toto, too.

What you'll need: A pretty white blouse, or even a polo neck, a blue pinafore or dress, a basket and stuffed toy dog, some red shoes and some blue ribbons. We love this because of it's no-sew potential - just pop on any blue dress and add some ribbons and everyone will know who you are! Plus there's the option to go all-out with a petticoat. We've found a fairy costume skirt works well under a dress here for added oomph.

Difficulty rating : 5/10

Why we love it: This is one of the easiest World Book Day costumes out there. Especially if your child already wears glasses! It’s of course, the beloved Harry Potter from JK Rowling’s famous series. It will be a go-to for lots of kids in the class, but the costume fail-safe and everyone will instantly know who they are. The best thing about it though? You’ll already have all the things you need to turn your child into the boy (or girl!) wizard.

What you'll need: There are only two key parts to this outfit, the rest is totally up to you: the iconic glasses and scar. If your child already wears glasses, then great, you don’t need to anything. If not, why not use some black face paint to draw on those icon round glasses? And for the scar, face paint again! If you want to go one step further and have a little more time, you could find a stick in the garden to use as a wand – or get one cheaply from Amazon. A black robe is also part of the look, so use an old black dressing gown if you have one. This look is really versatile however, so as long as you’ve got the glasses and the scar – there will no mistaking who your child has come dressed as!

Difficulty rating : 3/10

Why we love it: Anything that involves the potential of matching sibling costumes is a winner for us. Just look at that little Oompa Loompa! We'd also like to point out that if your children are dressing up as characters from Charlie And The Chocolate Factory then that automatically qualifies you to be a serious and official chocolate taster - just to work out which bar they should use as a prop of course...

What you'll need: You can make the top hat from cardboard and fabric easily enough if you have those to hand, and the rest can be cobbled together. Try charity chops for old fashioned tops or shirts, use one of your old scarves for the bow and look in the supermarkets for a dressing up jacket. Although, if you fancy it you could give this whole outfit a go on the sewing machine - we wish you luck!

Difficulty rating : 8/10

Why we love it: This costume takes us back to reading the Pippi Longstocking books ourselves, plus it's very easy. If you've got a little girl who is always getting herself in scrapes, we think they'd be perfect for this.

What you'll need: The beauty of this costume is that we're almost certain you'll have all the items needed already in your cupboard. A layering of colourful clothes, some stripy socks and some orange hair spray will transform any little girl into the lovable Pippi.

Difficulty rating : 2/10

Why we love it: This costume is perfect for World Book Day but can also be recycled come Halloween, saving us a job further down the line. Kids absolutely love the novelty of having eight legs and will be delighted at their new found form. We also think this is great for its crowd pleasing abilities - boys and girls both adore the idea of being a creepy crawly we've found and will happily play with their new found form for hours.

What you'll need: An all black outfit for your little one and some old tights to stuff for the spider's arms, (or is it legs?).

Difficulty rating : 4/10

Why we love it: Opt for a classic blue dress and become Alice, or…dwarf your little one in a big cardboard box house and they'll look like they've shrunk like the first few scenes of Lewis Carroll's brilliant novel.

What you'll need: All the usual Alice bits and bobs - a blue dress, white apron, white tights and a ribbon. Or just a cardboard box! You'll need to paint the box to look like a house, but this is something you can do with your child as a fun activity leading up to World Book Day.

Difficulty rating : 6/10

Why we love it: There's nothing more recognisable than a Dr. Zeus character and these classic costumes are sure to impress come World Book Day. If your child has been learning about The Cat In The Hat or Green Eggs and Ham then they're going to love this idea.

What you'll need: These hats can be made from either cardboard or felt and would only take half an afternoon to get through. The rest of the outfit is just a few pieces of clothing that be be put together from whatever is in your child's wardrobe like an all black ensemble or a yellow dress and white tights. If you want to go all out you could make the whole outfits - just be prepared to give a whole day over to the process.

Difficulty rating : 3/10 for the quicky version.

Or you can buy a complete outfit on Amazon: Buy online here

Why we love it: Going for a book that is a little different from the norm will make your little-one stand out from the crowd and they can tell all their friends about a new book they should read. Bee&Me by Alison Jay teaches children all about the humble bumble bee and its effects on the planet. Plus, this costume is very east to throw together!

What you'll need: Some white wings, a black and yellow striped top (you could get a yellow top and use black tape or a marker pen to create the stripes), a yellow or black tutu and some yellow or black boots. We also recommend some black, yellow or striped tights or leggings to wear under the tutu/skirt.

Difficulty rating: 2/10

Why we love it: Little Bo Peep is a classic nursery rhyme and one the whole family should be able to sing along to. There are several children's book inspired by the rhyme with many tracking her mission to find those pesky wandering sheep. If you've got two children this would make an adorable matching costume idea.

What you'll need:A white dress with long sleeves and some thick white or cream ribbon to tie in a bow around the waist, arms and wrists. If you have enough you could also tie some ribbon around a white floppy hat for a pretty finishing touch. Wrap a walking stick in some beige ribbon and add some fresh or fake white flowers if liked. Then your Little Bo Beep is ready to go!

Difficulty rating:2/10

Why we love it: Everyone loved the story of The Tiger Who Came To Tea growing up, and what better character to pick for World Book Day than this extraordinary tea guest? This easy World Book Day costume will transform your little monkey into the cheeky fluffy tiger who has an appetite to match its giant stripes!

What you'll need: An orange long-sleeved shirt with black stripes (or, if you can only find a plain orange top, get crafty with either black fabric paint, pen or black ribbon and thread!) You will also need some face paint to complete the full fearsome tiger effect. Add a cup and saucer to really polish this perfect World Book Day look.

Difficulty rating : 5/10

Why we love it: Nothing makes a cuter costume than dressing your kids up as mini people! We love the simple but effective components and think any little boy would jump at the chance to be Frodo Baggins for the day. If you've got a few little people then there are plenty of ways to add to this theme. For little girls think the beautiful white elves and for boys think Gandalf.

What you'll need: Some cardboard or plastic swords, colourful jackets or waistcoats, woolen scarves and a couple of homemade cloaks. These might seem tricky but you can whip them up from a large rectangle of fabric and a few stitches gathered around the neckline.

Difficulty rating : 5/10

Why we love it: The perfect costume for mums in a hurry or kids who aren't keen on dressing up, this World Book Day character idea is super simple. Based on the adorably difficult character Little Princess in the book series by Tony Ross, the great thing about this costume is that there are so many different stories to choose from, so once you've got the two simple items needed for the basic outfit, you can accessorize depending on time and budget.

What you'll need: An absolute must for this outfit is the distinctive yellow crown worn by Little Princess, and her simple, white, nightdress. The crown can be easily and quickly made out of yellow card if you don't already have something suitable at home, and if you don't want to pack your little one off for school in a nightdress on World Book Day, a long sleeved white dress or smock would also be perfect. Accessories could include a rosette (from story I Want To Win), a reading book (from I Want A Story) or even an old potty to take the character to one of her most famous stories (I Want My Potty!)

Difficulty rating : 2/10

Why we love it: All the best costumes can be found from bits you already have at home, and we're yet to meet someone who doesn't have everything needed to throw together a witch costume for their child at a moments notice! Plus, who didn't love the story of kind, well meaning witch Meg and her pet cat Mog growing up?

What you'll need: It's time to dig out that witches costume - hat, cape and all! To really complete the outfit - and to copy the character as they appear on the cover of the book - you'll also need a broomstick, cauldron and - if possible - a black and white toy cat!

Why we love it: We love the stories of the little fairy Felicity and her adventures with friends at the School of Nine Wishes - and our kids do too! An easy and comfy costume for any child, there are so many different stories to choose from you can really work your magic with this outfit.

What you'll need: A pink dress, or a pink top and skirt - preferably a tutu or a skirt in tulle material works well too. The key to bringing out Felicity's character in this costume are the distinctive stripy tights - so make sure you have a pair of those in pink too! Then just add wings, and maybe a wand and pink crown if you wish - and taa daa! Costume complete.

Difficulty rating : 2/10

Why we love it: If history is your child’s favourite subject at school, why not go for this super easy (and possibly last minute!) outfit idea? Horrible Histories are a staple on any history buff’s bookshelf, so there’s no way their costume won’t get recognised!

What you'll need: A white bedsheet is the main must-have in this outfit. There are some really easy ‘how to make a toga’ youtube tutorials online – follow one of those and you can’t go wrong. If you’re looking to step it up a notch, turn them into one of the Roman gods with just some cotton wool and gold painted cardboard.

Difficulty rating : 2/10

Why we love it: These famous furry Disney characters are a perfectly easy go-to for World Book Day. Little effort required, your little one is sure to impress and feel great.

What you'll need: No sewing required, just a white t-shirt and a black marker to draw on the spots. If you’re feeling creative you could also paint their face with black and white face paint, and fashion some ears out of carboard and a head band.

Difficulty rating : 4/10