Contents
World Book Day is meant to spark a love of reading… not a parental panic about finding a costume at 10pm the night before. If you’ve ever found yourself rummaging through the dressing-up box thinking, “Surely this unicorn onesie can be something?”, you’re in good company.
The good news: you don’t need to spend money or hours crafting. With a simple animal onesie (or whatever your child insists on wearing), you can pull together a brilliant book-themed costume in minutes — and save your energy for the fun part: actually reading together.
Onesie-based ideas you can make in seconds
- Tiger onesie: The Tiger Who Came to Tea, or Shere Khan from The Jungle Book.
- Rabbit onesie: Percy and the Rabbit, Watership Down, or Peter Rabbit.
- Bear onesie + red top: Winnie-the-Pooh.
- Bear onesie + red hat and blue jacket: Paddington.
- Duck onesie: The duck from Duck in the Truck.
- Pig onesie: Wilbur from Charlotte’s Web.
- Elephant onesie: One of Elmer’s less colourful friends.
And honestly, that’s just the start. Most animal characters can be whisked together from things you already have at home. Your child will be thrilled, and you’ll still have time for a cosy World Book Day story before bed.
Bite-sized reading tips, straight to your inbox
Get confidence-boosting tips to help your child learn to read. Short, useful, and easy to fit into (real) family life!
Even better? You'll also get 25% off your first month of Reading Chest.
Make reading the main event
Costumes are fun, but the real magic of World Book Day happens when you curl up together and share a story. If you’re running low on reading material (it happens quickly!), you can browse our huge range of book-banded titles at Reading Chest.
And if you fancy joining in with this year’s World Book Day celebrations, visit worldbookday.com for ideas, activities, and inspiration.
Happy reading — and good luck with the onesies.
World Book Day colouring & book chat
Colour our World Book Day page together and chat about favourite books, characters and stories. Low-key, lovely, and a good excuse to talk about reading.
Goal
Celebrate books and spark a conversation about reading — because enthusiasm is contagious, and World Book Day is a good day to let it show.
You'll need
- World Book Day Colouring
- Reading Prompt Questions (optional)
How to do it
Settle down with the colouring page and get drawing together. As you colour, chat: "Who's your favourite character ever? What would they do if they showed up here?" Keep it loose — this isn't a quiz.
Use the prompt questions if the conversation needs a nudge: "What's the best book you've read this year?" or "If you could be any character for a day, who would it be?" You'll probably end up talking about your own favourites too, which is the whole point.
World Book Day works best when it feels like a celebration rather than an assignment. Colouring together and talking about stories is exactly that.
Grab our resources
Print our world book day colouring and reading prompt questions to get started.
Jen Appleyard
Jen Appleyard is a mum of two boys and the owner of Reading Chest. She took over the business in 2024 with one goal: to make early reading easier — and far more joyful — for families.