17 Creative book character costumes for teachers for CBCA Book Week 2025
In this guide
- Why creative costumes matter for Book Week learning
- Classic book character costume ideas for teachers
- Easy DIY book character costumes on a budget
- Fun group costume ideas for teachers and their students
- How to choose a comfortable and practical costume for the classroom
Why creative costumes matter for Book Week learning
Book Week is a perfect opportunity for teachers to bring stories to life and inspire a lifelong love of reading among students!
Wearing a creative costume not only makes the day more enjoyable but also encourages student engagement and sparks curiosity around books. Creative book character costumes for teachers can serve as a conversation starter, help in storytelling, and can tie into themed lesson plans in the classroom. Teachers can even make learning more memorable and engaging by dressing up as students’ beloved book characters!
Classic book character costume ideas for teachers
Looking for timeless and recognisable book-inspired costumes? Think about books everyone knows and iconic characters your students will love!
Classic costumes are a great choice because they are easily recognisable and often require minimal effort to put together. These characters often come from books that are widely known which makes it easy to tie them into your lesson plan!
Be sure to spend some time thinking about the traits of the book character you choose to dress as. Get into character with help from Developing a Character.
1) “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”: Greg Heffley
- For this iconic character, you only need a few costume pieces to transform!
- Greg wears a white t-shirt and dark shorts. Grab a dark or gray colored backpack to add to your outfit! Consider printing or creating a Greg Heffley mask to look like the cartoon illustration.
2) “Mary Poppins”: Mary Poppins
- To complete this magical look, use a vintage-style long coat, a small hat and an umbrella. For an extra touch, wear laced boots with a small heel!
3) “Pete the Cat”
- Pete the Cat wears a yellow t-shirt with four large buttons. Pete is blue so unless you’re really keen, simply consider wearing a blue long-sleeve shirt and blue pants underneath the yellow top.
- Add some blue cat ears or face paint to round out your cat look!
4) “Where’s Wally”
- Start with a red and white shirt and a pair of jeans. It is the hat that makes this outfit so hit the costume shop and wait for the nods of approval from your students.
- Wally and Wendy are also recognisable book characters hidden in the pages of this book!
- Add a beanie and round glasses to create this look.
5) Willy Wonka: “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”
- Find a purple jacket, top hat, and cane to turn into the whimsical character of Willy Wonka!
- Bonus points if you bring chocolate bars with you!
6) “Paddington”
- With a long blue dress, red floppy hat, and yellow rain boots, you can become Paddington the Bear!
- Utilise props and carry a suitcase with you. Students will surely recognise this famous bear!
7) “Arthur”
- Arthur Reed wears light washed jeans, a cozy yellow mustard sweater, and a collared white shirt.
- Carry a library card with your picture on it just like Arthur does in the books! Bonus points to wear your hair up as ‘ears’ or find a headband with ears.
Easy DIY book character costumes on a budget
Creating book character costumes for teachers does not have to be expensive or time-consuming! Some of the best book character costumes for teachers can be put together quickly and friendly to your budget.
8) “Pippi Longstocking”
- Use colourful and mismatched clothes to become Pippi Longstocking!
- She is known for her red, braided pigtails, and striped socks.
9) “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”
- Use a green t-shirt and attach felt circles to look more like a caterpillar. For added fun, add some cut outs of what the hungry caterpillar ate during his day!
10) Fern (“Charlotte’s Web”)
- For this costume, consider overalls and a straw hat. The cover of ‘Charlotte’s Web’ features Fern and her pig!
- Bring a stuffed pig (Wilbur) or rubber spider ( Charlotte) to complete this easy look.
11) Harry Potter Characters
- For an easy DIY costume, consider a black cape and a magic wand! With these props, you can transform into any character from the ‘Harry Potter’ series.
- This costume allows for multiple variations from the world of Harry Potter, including Ron, Herminoe, Snape, or Dumbledore!
- Draw Harry Potter’s famous scar on your forehead with a marker or facepaint for his classic look.
12) “Captain Underpants”
- For this iconic character, dress in all tan with a long sleeve shirt and pants. Wear an oversized pair of underwear (specifically white) over your outfit.
- Add a red cape to complete the look of Captain Underpants!
DIY book character costumes are a great way to participate in Book Week without spending a lot of money! Many of these ideas can be put together with items you already have at home which makes celebrating Book Week more cost effective.
Fun group costume ideas for teachers and their students
Dressing up as a group makes Book Week even more exciting! Group costumes can build a sense of community and encourage teamwork among students and teachers.
Think about how you might add collaborative activities or themed classroom decorations around your group costume.
Here are some fun costume ideas to dress up with a small group of teachers or a small group of students!
13) “The Day the Crayons Quit”
- A perfect and easy book character costume for teachers are crayons from ‘The Day the Crayons Quit’!
- This beloved series has a personality for each colour crayon.
- Have each teacher decide on a colour and dress head to toe in that colour. Create the top of the crayon by wearing a hat of the same colour and adding a paper cone on top.
14) Jory John Book Series
- John’s books such as ‘The Bad Seed’ or ‘The Good Egg’ allow teachers to add a unique spin on a group costume!
- The characters in these books are a piece of food. Teachers can dress as the grape, cookie, seed, or egg by wearing the same colour clothing.
- Consider carrying the book with you as you transform into your favourite Jory John’s character!
15) If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
- A great series from Laura Numeroff gives teachers another group costume opportunity.
- Stories about a mouse, a pig, a moose, and other beloved animals are the perfect book character costumes for teachers!
16) “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom”
- Teachers can dress like the coconut trees with brown shirts and pants. Use green paper to create the palm tree leaves.
- Add letters to your body to show the letters climbing up the coconut tree!
17) Dogs
- Another great way to dress as a group is to think about the famous dogs of children’s literature! Dogs like:
- DogMan,
- Clifford the Big Red Dog,
- Old Yeller,
- Go, Dog, Go, or
- Spot (‘Where’s Spot?’ by Eric Hill).
- Let students guess which book each ‘dog’ is from!
How to choose a comfortable and practical costume for the classroom
While creating a book character costume for teachers, creativity is key. However, comfort and practicality should be a priority for busy teachers!! Here are some tips to ensure your outfit is both cute and classroom ready:
- Choose breathable fabrics: Avoid heavy or restrictive materials to stay comfortable throughout the day.
- Choose moveable outfits: Teachers are always up and down and on the move! Choose a costume that allows you to move freely around the room.
- Avoid oversized accessories: Large hats, props, or distracting wigs might be fun but might not be conducive to a meaningful learning environment
By selecting a creative, comfortable, and practical costume, teachers can make Book Week a fun and engaging experience for their students. Whether going solo or as part of a group, these costume ideas will bring stories to life for eager students!
Book Week is a creative and exciting schooltime tradition that encourages literacy and storytelling in a way that makes learning come alive for all ages. Get creative, have fun, and bring your students’ favourite book characters to life!
Victoria Dotson
briefcase iconLiteracy Specialist
Victoria Dotson, an esteemed educator and professor in Chicago, Illinois, leverages her background as a Literacy Specialist to support multilingual learners and mentor preservice teachers. Victoria excels in developing literacy practices, promoting diverse literacy experiences in the classroom, and developing restorative curriculum.
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