With Book Week just around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about costumes! In this blog, we have put together some quick and easy costume ideas to help get you started.
This year’s theme, “Reading is Magic” unlocks a range of possibilities when it comes to planning your book week costume! Reading is Magic invites us to explore the wonder and enchantment found in stories. It allows us to step into magical realms, sparking our imagination and bringing our favourite characters to life.
Long John Silver is a pirate legend! You can replicate Long John Silver’s look from Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel, Treasure Island with a long white sleeve shirt, baggy blue pirate pants and a pirate hat. Use this example from Joke to draw inspiration.
Connect your costume to country by dressing up as an iconic Australian animal! There are plenty of native animals to choose from including favourites such as the Kangaroo, Emu, or even a Koala!
Do you dream of what you’ll be when you grow up? Perhaps you want to be a rocket scientist, with a white lab coat. Maybe becoming a doctor is what you’ve always wanted to be. This year, make your dreams come true by dressing up as your dream job!
The police are always a popular option, but how about dressing as a firefighter with a bright red coat and a hard hat, or throw on your space helmet to become an adventuring astronaut! Maybe you want to become a football player or a tennis star! The choices are endless!
Let your imagination run free as you dress up as your favourite characters from worlds beyond our own! Grab out your green face paint and extra arms as you become an alien from another planet!
Some other out-of-this-world ideas include dressing up as a superhero from your favourite comic book, or perhaps a princess from a fairy tale. Why not try and become a mystical creature like a dragon or a unicorn! You could even become your own Star Wars or Lord of the Rings character!
For even more inspiration, check out these great websites for more simple and easy costume ideas!
Editors note: This blog was originally published in July 2021, and updated in August 2024 for freshness, accuracy, and relevancy.