Make a simple mask. Paper plates are great for making simple masks. You can turn your child into pretty much any World Book Day character they fancy with a little crafting. With over 92 characters to choose from, the Mr Men and Little Miss series is like Aladdin's cave of World Book Day costume ideas. This Mr Bump costume is one of our favourites as it's a lot easier to make than it looks, but it's also fun to watch your little ones wobble around the playground. Skeleton outfit + red top hat with blue ribbon World Book Day costumes with a red and white stripy top 14. Wally or Wenda – Where's Wally? by Martin Hanford

To save money, simply buy only one item from their Hogwarts house, for example, a hat, scarf or tie, this will pull the whole outfit together, even if all the items aren't official Hogwarts robes. Children love dressing up and they may already have items used at Halloween, Christmas or even access to a friend’s costume from last year's World Book Day- so use them! Kit for riding bikes, horse riding and karate can also be used to great effect. We don’t recommend swimwear for early March though, even if Jabari Jumps is a child’s favourite read!Grey/silver dressing gown + spectacles + tassel hat + white/grey beard + hairband to go around middle of beard + magic wand 44. The Witch – Room on a Broom by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler If you’re anything like me, you’ll remember the World Book Day costume at about 10pm on Wednesday, March 2. Let’s face it – very few of us have the time, energy or inclination to conjure up a new outfit every year, so why not try repurposing something from another fancy dress party, or last year's Halloween costume? It's eco-friendly too! 10. Charlotte the Spider – Charlotte’s Web by E B White Highlights included children taking part in virtual author sessions, online art lessons with famous book illustrators, children drafting their very own poems inspired by a diverse range of books and using a range of apps to share their work. Many book characters are pretty ordinary kids, which is one of the reasons why children love them so much. Think of characters that wear normal clothes and add accessories to make them into their bookish persona.

Blue and white striped top + red and white polka shorts + white sun hat + white beard 21. Julius Zebra – Julius Zebra by Gary Northfield A sweet and comfy outfit for school. Dress your child in a nightie and pop some fairy lights in a jar to make ‘wishes’. Because, obviously you and your kids absolutely love World Book Day - and all the amazing literary costumes that come with it. But, it can be hard to know where to start with so many ideas out there... Think about sleepwear - Pyjamas and nighties can work for all sorts of costumes, like The Darlings from Peter Pan or Sophie from The BFG.Also take a look at our World Book Day gallery to see all the fabulous pics of costumes families have sent in over the past couple of years. If you don't have these items lying around, try asking your friends and family if they do! Gangsta Granny This year, our nursery school has decided to combine both World Book Day with Comic Relief on Friday. Not only is a book character costume required but a funny book at that. Our almost 4 year old immediately said (unsurprisingly) “ Princess Anna! She’s funny!”. After explaining that didn’t really count because Frozen is a film –“ no it’s a book too mummy, I have it” (cue eye roll) – I set about distracting her by suggesting other books. We settled on a Little Miss character in the end, specifically the most pink one- it was always going to be someone which involved a lot of pink. A pink cardigan, jeans, her regular nursery shoes and a red bow and daisy clips later and we had her ‘costume’ sorted and handily she needed some new bits for her capsule nursery wardrobe anyway. Result! Normal clothes + wellies + (toy) snail Book characters that wear pyjamas 4. Tom – Tom's Midnight Garden by Phillippa Pearce

World Book Day falls on Thursday March 2 this year. The day is all about celebrating a love of reading and kids enjoy getting dressed up as their favourite book characters for school. If you don't want to spend money on a wig, we suggest (depending on your child's hair length and colour) using a silver spray. Burglar Bill Create two holes at the top of the second circle and pull your string through it, creating a knot at the end. Look through EVERYONE'S wardrobes. Dad's tie may make a great Penny Crayon costume and an apron could be fashioned into an Alice in Wonderland dress.Finally, cut out two holes around the side of the ears and join your trunk using the elasticated string. This Gruffalo outfit might be the most straightforward World Book Day costume of them all. It's perfect for little ones with plenty of room for them to run and nothing too expensive that you'll shed too many tears if they ruin it.