The speed at which World Book Day comes around each year feels as fast as Christmas does. Next Thursday is the day that we all panic and raid the fancy dress box as we realise we haven’t prepared… ok perhaps that’s just me? Whether you are prepared or need some fresh ideas, Emily from Parrot Street (a monthly book subscription for children between 5 – 11) is sharing some simple ideas that aren’t too difficult to recreate, won’t cost a bomb and still celebrate everything that is fun and fantastic about books. Thank you Emily!
Raid The Wardrobe
The easiest option is to use clothes that your child already owns and just add a few props. For the little girl from The Paper Dolls we attached a cardboard butterfly to a hairclip but, of course, the outfit wouldn’t be complete without our own versions of Ticky, Tacky, Jackie the Backie, Jim with two noses and Jo with a bow!
For Tom Gates we created a cardboard guitar and simply added one of his favourite treats, a caramel wafer! And for Claude and Sir Bobblysock we bought a cheap red beret from eBay, attached a sock to a red jumper and created a black collar from ribbon and a chocolate coin wrapper.
Dig In The Dressing Up Box
What about using a costume from your dressing up box and simply adjusting it to become a book character? Furry ears and a face-painted nose combined with pjs and a dressing gown make for the perfect Mr Bear from Peace at Last.
Cardboard Crafting
Making a cardboard tabard, connected at the shoulders with ribbon or string, is very easy to do (assuming you have a large box to hand). We just cut out the shape of this boogying pear from The Kitchen Disco before giving it a few coats of green paint!
Get Really Creative
These last few ideas require sewing or fabric glue but if that doesn’t put you off they are pretty simple to recreate. Rosie Revere’s dress is a large white t-shirt – we just glued red and black ribbon to the bottom to make the stripes. We bought a cheap polka dot bandana from eBay and made her toolbox from a cardboard box.
Finally, we couldn’t resist recreating a beautiful parakeet from Parrots Don’t Live in the City. We slipped a green pillowcase onto each arm, secured it to the jumper and then got to work cutting the shape of the feathers. We glued some of the green fabric to a simple mask and added a cardboard beak!
None of these costumes quite right for you?
The girls at Parrot Street have created a download of over 30 more simple ideas and are sharing it as a welcome gift for anyone that joins their mailing list before 7th March.
Join the list here