It’s Book Week time and that means it’s time for our annual School Stream Book Week Guide. We’ve pulled together some easy, theme-appropriate costume ideas for teachers to have your parade ready in a heartbeat. The Children’s Book Council of Australia has once again selected a brilliant theme – Dreaming with Eyes Open – which acknowledges the rich storytelling culture of Australia’s First Nations Peoples. It’s sure to get mini bookworms and older readers alike excited about books, stories and reading. So, break out your bedazzlers and get ready to raid the art room supplies – it’s Book Week!
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Some people love to dress up and for those people, Book Week is like Christmas. But for others, the idea of pulling together a parade-worthy outfit will always be a challenge. So, if you need some costume inspiration, keep reading for some easy ideas that need little more than access to art supplies and your creative spirit.
David Walliams – The rock star of children’s literature has gifted us a treasure trove of engaging stories that are beloved by kids all over the world. Celebrate some of his most iconic characters with easy costumes that will be instantly recognisable to his enthusiastic fanbase, aka everyone.
Gangsta Granny – Embrace your inner nana and pair a blouse, sensible skirt and baggy tights with a black bandit mask with silver glasses worn (or drawn!) over the top. Top it off with a grey wig and a bag full of crumbled paper to represent your ill-gotten gains and you are ready to be Gangsta Granny.
Pro tip: Bandit eye masks can be made from party masks found at the supermarket or local variety shop. Thrift shops are also a great source of costume accoutrement.
Billionaire Boy – Do you have grey trousers, a white top and access to Monopoly money (or a printer to make some)? If the answer is yes, you have everything you need to be Billionaire Boy. Bonus points for carrying a roll of toilet paper with the word ‘Billions’ written on it.
‘Ratburger’, ‘Demon Dentist’ and ‘Mr Stink’ are some other characters from the David Walliams universe to try when looking for minimum-faff, maximum-impact costume ideas for your school’s character parade.
Morrigan Crow – The titular character of the outrageously popular Nevermoor Series is an easy win – especially if your students are in Year 5 to the early secondary years. If you have a black dress, dark shoes and an umbrella, you have a costume. A cloak and red headband are optional extras, but a Wondrous Society golden ‘W’ badge will really bring the look home. You’ll find loads of printable images online.
Mr Men and Little Miss – All the characters from the prolific English author Roger Hargreaves series lend themselves to the ‘sandwich board’ costume technique. Take two pieces of cardboard and cut them into the character’s shape and get creative. Glue or tie shoulder straps and, voila, you are ready for your lap of the oval. There are a lot of characters to choose from – there are 47 titles in the Mr Men series, and another 38 in the Little Miss collection. Take a look at this group photo of teachers dressed as characters from the series to see how straightforward it can be.
Iggy Peck, Ada Marie and Rosie Revere are all low-effort fantastic costume ideas. Their ever-patient teacher Ms Lila Greer is another option if you happen to have a stylish outfit ready to go.
If you need any more inspiration, head to our previous guides from 2020 and 2021 for more easy costume ideas.
Book Week 2022 Resources for Older Readers
We all know Book Week is a hit with young readers, but there are some absolutely compelling titles on the shortlist for older readers again this year. As always, the indefatigable Ipswich District Teacher Librarian Network has links to every shortlisted book in this category with plenty of resources to support teaching and learning.
Book Week 2022 Resources for Younger Readers, Early Childhood & More
The Ipswich District Teacher Librarian Network continues its generous offering, with resources available for every shortlisted book across all categories. Of course, The Children’s Book Council of Australia website is chock full of useful activities and notes as well.
Happy Book Week!
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