We need your costume ideas for World Book Day

[CatherineMumsnet]

Yes, we need your hot tips for costumes for World Book Day. Have you put together an outfit for your child that went down a storm or do you struggle to find anything within your budget if you can't sew a stitch?

I saw one or read about one a while ago it was the Pied Piper: Normal trousers and a shirt, carry a tin whistle (or recorder) get some plastic rats - tie them to a pieces of string, then tie the strings to a belt. you could add a hat too if you had one (to the child not the rats )

My favourite for girls(because it is easy) is Red Riding Hood,
I made a simply red cloak, dress or skirt and blouse underneath, a little basket with some cakes or cookies (real or plastic)

School a friend of mine worked in got the teachers to dress up as a character from their favourite book.
She asked me to guess which character the somewhat solemn male teacher was. He was dressed in : Shorts,shirt, sandals and had a catapult.

Where's Wally?-no
Just William-no
Eh, someone fron The Famous Five?-nope

David as in David and Goliath from The Bible!

lol @ David

Last year my dd went as Tabitha Twitchett from Tom Kitten, we found a frilly apron and tied it over an old princess and the pauper pink dress, black tights for tail, painted on paws/whiskers, made cat ears and she carried 'Tom' with a hairbrush which she kept brushing him with, lol.

This yr she wants to go as Gabriella from HSM. Tried to tell her this is not strictly book based, but she got her HSM annual to prove it. lol.

spare a thought for school teaching staff like me! I'm a reception TA and I have to dress up too!

I hate it and have no idea what to wear as I am pregnant and nothing fits me

I'm a primary school teacher and last year we had about a hundred Troys, Gabriellas and Harry Potters. The kids have to stand up in assembly, announce their character and the book that they're from, which is always entertaining!
Would recommend pairing up with a friend as Tweedledum/dee or Alice in Wonderland: blue frock and Alice band. Noddy: blue shorts, red shirt, nightcap. Cinderella: party dress/rags. The Ugly Sisters: Crazy mixed up clothes and a painted on beauty spot. Or if all else fails then wearing own clothes and going as one of the Famous Five is always a good cop out!

memoo, why not There's a House Inside My Mummy? if you have a stripy top, wear that and put a picture of a house on your tummy!!

sorry if inappropriate - just hope to reduce the stress around this event which IMO tends to slide away from any emphasis on reading/books to the costumes...

I am a secondary teacher and my daughters are in secondary school too now. I really miss WBD! Occasionally I dress up as a character for school but I loved making costumes with the girls too.

In the past they have been things like:

• Elmer
• Rapunzel (massive trail of plaited wool attached to a princess crown)
• Medussa
• The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe (all at once!)
• The White Witch
• Red Riding Hood AND the wolf - red riding hood gear plus wolf hands and tail
• The Mirror from Snow White
• Dobby the house elf and Fawkes the phoenix from Harry Potter

Easy things include -
Milly Molly Mandy
Pippi Long Stockings
Miss Muffet and the spider
Alice
Jack and/or Jill
The White Rabbit

Someone from The Cautionary tales could be fun too.

'Eloise', would be fairly easy, a black skirt with straps stitched to it like braces, white blouse, unbrushed hair, and a fake tortoise on a string.

DD has come home from school announcing that various of her class want to come as characters from the Wizard of Oz and she'll be Toto as (having vetoed Aslan she knew I couldn't do lions). I don't think I can do cairn terriers either !

I made an elmer elephant one year -cut out face and ears from BIG cardboard box (using the sides as ears so they flap!) and tape toilet rolls down to make an articulated nose. The prize went to a boy who'd just got a pair of round glasses and drawn a lightning scar on his forehead!

Oh that is so annoying Captain!

Our Elmer costume involved a patchwork dress (not made by me!) and an elephant mask (made by me and then painstakingly coloured in by dd2 who was five or six at the time).

Alex Rider is a good one for boys who don't like dressing up.

Funnybones. Dead easy.
Left over halloween skeleton outfit, homemade tall red cardboard hat. et voila...

sal, what a wonderful idea.

dd is going to be Dora - orange leggings and a pink top. Easy peasy! ( I know not terribly great, but she is a Big Fan)

OK, guess what book (not character - whoops) DD was last year? I drew a very rubbish spider's web on her T-shirt, adorned with the legend 'some pig', and she took her pig soft toy in with her.

It took me about five seconds.

Charlotte's Web

Ramon - you're good.

You can enjoy DD's hastily assembled 'costume' from last year on my profile if you like! I think Winnie the Witch is a top idea and may well do the same if the nursery is celebrating it, so cheers supersalstrawberry.

DS age 9 is planning to go as Captain Underpants. He might chicken out though, when it comes to spending a day at school in big white underpants, a red curtain and an egg-head wig.

my dd is doing winnie the witch too. ds went as horrid henry one year (not v convincingly!)