SET your alarms – World Book Day is fast approaching.
This year taking place on March 5th, the occasion usually means children can go into school dressed as their favourite literary character.
And while some parents choose to make costumes for their kids, there’s an easier option many go for instead, and that’s to buy one in.
While the costumes can be expensive, supermarkets tend to be a good place to get budget-friendly options.
With one person taking to the Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK group on Facebook to reveal Sainsbury’s has a good range to choose from.
“Heads up!!” Beth wrote.
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“World Book Day’s coming up.
“Sainsbury has loads of costumes and some as little as £6!”
She then shared screenshots of some of the options on the Tu at Sainsbury’s website, including Matilda and Dorothy costumes for £15 each.
There’s also a Belle fancy dress outfit for £18, and a Mary Poppins one for £14.40 – as it’s one of the selected items with 20% off currently.
And if you’re looking for a super bargain, there’s a whole host of T-shirts with characters on the front.
While they were originally priced at £6, they also have 20% off at the moment, meaning they’re just £4.80.
There are a lot of options too – from the BFG, to Peppa Pig and even Mr Men characters.
As an added bonus, the majority of the T-shirts are 100% cotton, exclusive of trimmings.
The tops can be paired with a plain pair of trousers to turn them into a perfect costume for the big day.
To mark World Book Day, every young person in the UK and Ireland are given a book token so they can choose their own book for free.
There are options for all different ages – from Peppa Pig for beginner readers, to the Unicorn Academy book My Secret Unicorn Diary for early readers, and Jamie Smart’s Bunny vs Monkey: Total Chaos! for those who can fluently read.
The tokens can be exchanged for one of the books in Argos, Asda, Blackwell’s, Easons, Foyles, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, TG Jones, The Works and Waterstones, as well as your local independent bookseller and some WHSmith Travel branches.
World Book Day outfits you can make on a budget
WARDROBE WONDERS: Raid family wardrobes to see which clothes, PJs or accessories could be the basis of a great costume.
Any self-respecting Miss Trunchbull, from Roald Dahl’s Matilda, needs a blazer, belt and tight bun to start with.
SWAPSIES: There’s still time to set up a costume swap.
Tell your friends and fellow parents, or advertise it with a poster you can download at worldbookday.com.
Ask for unwanted costumes to be dropped off, then arrange a time for people to pick from the haul.
CHARITY SHOP CHECK: Start trawling charity shops with your children, as many will have a special World Book Day rail at this time of year.
If nothing on it catches your eye, you can still make an outfit from the main stock.
The BFG, also by Roald Dahl, just needs an oversized shirt and waistcoat or, if you find an all-white outfit, cover it in black spots for 101 Dalmatians, the book by Dodie Smith.
A FOR ACCESSORIES: Score top outfit marks with amazing accessories.
They’re often all you need for a cracking costume and kids can help create them.
A cardboard box covered in home-made travel stickers can become a suitcase for Michael Bond’s Paddington Bear.
Or budding Charlie Buckets can make a golden ticket and stick or sew it to a ragged T-shirt in a nod to another Dahl classic, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.
HEAD STARTS: Create a clever headband with some clues to your character.
Add big ears for the BFG or bright green and red circles for Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
You just need a wide crown of cardboard, which you can decorate with pictures related to your chosen book.
And if you want more than one of the books, you can buy another one for just £1.
For those who can’t get out to the shops, you can get one of the books online, or from one of the 40 local libraries that have been chosen as “hubs” for the books.
Find your local World Book Day book distributor here.
