Kids
Courtesy of Ashley Jones
13 Easy Book Character Costume Ideas For Kids
You can likely use things already in your kid’s closet for these looks.
by Ashley Jones
Themed spirit days at school can be both a blessing and a curse. It’s so much fun for the kids to dress up, but can be a lot of work for the adults who have to put a whole costume together, especially with short notice. (Because your second grader left the note in the bottom of his backpack for weeks, naturally.) For your child’s next book character day, these costume ideas are incredibly easy to achieve.
For my oldest son’s first book character day at school, I knew that I needed him to pick a character whose look was super simple to recreate. The less I had to buy, the better. I’m also not the most crafty person in the world, so I also didn’t want to have to make much either. As it turns out, a couple of pointy paper cups glued to an old headband paired with a yellow t-shirt and a pair of yellow gym shorts transformed him into an adorable version of the main character from one of his favorite tales, Nibbles the Book Monster.
Classic characters from your own childhood can also be a great source of inspiration. Most of their looks are simple enough to recreate with things you probably already have at home like overalls for Corduroy or a floppy hat and blue dress for Madeline. Take a look at this list with your kids the next time you’re in need of book character costume inspiration for a school spirit day, Halloween, or any other costume-wearing occasion.
1
Corduroy Bear
The beloved bear from author and illustrator Don Freeman’s 1976 classic children’s book, Corduroy, is an iconic main character with a super easy-to-achieve look. Just like Corduroy himself, your child can wear a pair of green overalls with one strap undone (missing button optional) over a long-sleeved brown shirt to signify the well-worn brown teddy bear’s fur. Then, you can add a pair of brown, fuzzy bear ears to top off the look. If you’re feeling extra-detailed, you can use black eyeliner to make Corduroy’s nose on the tip of your child’s own. Those small touches can go a long way on book character day.
2
Nibbles The Book Monster
My kids absolutely love the zany fairytale-chomping main character in the book Nibbles: The Book Monster, by author and illustrator Emma Yarlett. If you aren’t already familiar with this hilarious tale, it’s definitely worth a read, even if it’s solely to help you craft an easy book character costume. Nibbles is solid yellow from his four fingertips on each hand all the way to his floppy feet, so your kid really just needs head-to-toe yellow clothing to pull off this character costume. You can also glue two pointy paper cups (like the ones found on office water coolers) to a headband to make his horns.
3
Pete The Cat
Eric Litwin’s Pete the Cat books are a favorite of so many elementary school-aged kiddos. Pete is a blue cat, so a long-sleeved blue top and blue pants are all you need make the base of your child’s costume. Then, you can draw whiskers on their cheeks with eyeliner and fill the tip of their nose in with white paint to create Pete’s face. Throughout the series, Pete dons many different looks, so for book character day, your kids can choose from a variety of accessories to complete their costume, like a yellow raincoat with colorful buttons, a Santa hat, red sneakers, a guitar, and more.
4
Madeline
Ludwig Bemelmans’ iconic children’s book Madeline was first published in 1967, but in the years since, the story’s main character has become a pop culture mainstay. In the original book, main character Madeline is pictured on the cover wearing yellow, but in subsequent books and the popular 1998 film, the sweet heroine wears blue. For book character day, either color dress works well — especially if you already have one or the other. Your child can wear the dress over a white collared top paired with a floppy hat, white knee-high socks, a pair of black flats, and a red scarf tied loosely around their neck.
5
The Mouse From ‘If You Give A Mouse A Cookie’
The main character from the book If You Give A Mouse A Cookie by Laura Numeroff is an adorable little mouse whose look is super simple to recreate for book character day. All you need is a pair of denim overalls worn with a long-sleeved grey, brown, or tan shirt to resemble the mouse’s fur. Top the costume off with some drawn-on mouse whiskers, a painted-on pink nose, and a pair of mouse ears.
To complete the look and let people know exactly which character your kid is, have them carry around a big “cookie” cut out of brown construction paper with “chocolate chips” drawn on with a marker. If their teacher approves, they could also bring a bag of cookies to school to share with the class.
6
Max From ‘Where The Wild Things Are’
The classic story Where the Wild Things Are by author and illustrator Maurice Sendak has one of the most memorable main characters of any children’s book I can think of. Max, the adventurous little boy at the center of the story, dresses in a wolf suit in the book, but you absolutely don’t have to make a homemade wolf costume to dress your kid like Max.
A pair of long john-style pajamas in white or beige will work just fine, but you can also add big buttons to the front to make it look more like Max’s wolf suit. You can also craft a simple crown out of felt and add some faux fur around the base with glue to recreate one of the more iconic scenes from the story.
7
Arthur
Your child may be more familiar with the lovable aardvark, Arthur, from the PBS show, but I guarantee there are at least a handful of Arthur books on their school library shelves. Achieve this book character costume look with a yellow sweater over a white collared shirt, some baggy blue jeans, red sneakers, and a pair of rimmed glasses in the classic round shape the character sports. A red backpack and some felt aardvark ears on a headband can also put this look over the top.
8
Waldo From ‘Where’s Waldo?’
When your child dresses like the star of the Where’s Waldo? book series by Martin Handford, there will be no second-guessing who your kiddo is in their book character costume. A red and white striped sweater or long-sleeved shirt can be paired with blue jeans to recreate the base of Waldo’s unmistakable attire. Black, round-rim glasses and a red and white beanie top off the look. One helpful hint for this costume idea is to shop for the top around the Christmas holidays when you’re more likely to find clothing with red and white stripes.
9
Paddington Bear
Author Michael Bond’s book Paddington, originally illustrated by R.W. Alley, is one of the most beloved reads of all-time about an adorable bear in London. In the story, Paddington sports a dilapidated red hat and a stately blue coat over his brown fur.
To recreate his look, your child can don a floppy red hat and a long, blue coat over brown clothing to represent Paddington’s fur. Paddington also carries a well-worn suitcase, so to add to the already charming nature of this book character look, your child could carry an old suitcase to school if you happen to have one at home.
10
Angelina Ballerina
A book character costume based on the main character from the Angelina Ballerina series written by Katharine Holabird and illustrated by Helen Craig is incredibly easy and fun to make. If your little one is a tiny dancer themselves, you likely already have a pink leotard, ballet slippers, and a pink tutu at home. If not, these items are easy enough to come by at local dance wear shops and online. Then, add a pair of grey mouse ears, draw on some mouse whiskers, paint on a pink nose, and call it done.
11
The Cat In The Hat
The title character from one of Dr. Seuss’ most iconic stories, The Cat in the Hat, is such a fun choice for a book character costume. Your child can wear all black clothing with a large white circle cut out of felt or paper stuck on their belly and a pair of white gloves. Then, draw a cat nose and whiskers on their face with black eyeliner. Top off the costume with a red-and-white-striped top hat like the cat wears in the book. The big hat is probably not something you already have at home, but they’re actually pretty easy to find at party supply stores, craft stores, and online.
12
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
The beloved title character from author and illustrator Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar is an iconic choice for a book character costume, especially for younger kids who love the story. All that is really required to create this costume is a long sleeved top or sweater that has alternating dark and light green stripes paired with a red beanie to serve as the caterpillar’s face. Easy enough, right? If you’re feeling crafty, you can also cut bug eyes and tentacles out of construction paper or felt to stick on the hat to make the costume more detailed.
13
Thing 1 (And/Or Thing 2)
This is a fun book character costume from The Cat In The Hat and several other Dr. Seuss spin-off stories to team up with a sibling or friend to wear together. A red shirt and black leggings or black pants is all you really need to get the clothing part of the costume covered. For the “Thing 1” or “Thing 2” emblem on the shirt, you can literally just cut circles out of white paper and use a black permanent marker. You could definitely go all-out and invest in a spiky blue wig as well, but you could also use blue temporary hair color spray for the day.
Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts
As an expert and enthusiast, I have personal experiences or a closet, but I can certainly provide you with information about the concepts mentioned in this article. Let's dive into each book character costume idea and explore how to achieve them:
Corduroy Bear
Corduroy Bear is the beloved main character from Don Freeman's classic children's book "Corduroy." To recreate Corduroy's look, your child can wear a pair of green overalls with one strap undone over a long-sleeved brown shirt to represent the bear's fur. Adding a pair of brown, fuzzy bear ears will complete the costume. For extra detail, you can use black eyeliner to draw Corduroy's nose on your child's face [[1]].
Nibbles The Book Monster
Nibbles is the main character in the book "Nibbles: The Book Monster" by Emma Yarlett. This character is solid yellow from head to toe, so your child can wear yellow clothing to represent Nibbles. To make his horns, you can glue two pointy paper cups to a headband. This simple costume will transform your child into the zany fairytale-chomping monster [[2]].
Pete The Cat
Pete the Cat, created by Eric Litwin, is a popular character among elementary school-aged children. To dress up as Pete, your child can wear a long-sleeved blue top and blue pants. Drawing whiskers on their cheeks with eyeliner and filling the tip of their nose with white paint will help create Pete's face. Your child can also choose from a variety of accessories, such as a yellow raincoat, a Santa hat, red sneakers, or a guitar, to complete the costume [[3]].
Madeline
Madeline is the iconic main character from Ludwig Bemelmans' children's book "Madeline." Your child can wear a yellow or blue dress over a white collared top, paired with a floppy hat, white knee-high socks, black flats, and a red scarf loosely tied around their neck. Both the yellow and blue dress versions of Madeline are recognizable and work well for a book character costume [[4]].
The Mouse From 'If You Give A Mouse A Cookie'
The main character from the book "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" by Laura Numeroff is an adorable little mouse. To recreate this costume, your child can wear a pair of denim overalls with a long-sleeved grey, brown, or tan shirt to resemble the mouse's fur. Drawing on mouse whiskers and a pink nose with face paint or makeup will complete the look. Carrying a big "cookie" made out of brown construction paper with "chocolate chips" drawn on it will help identify the character [[5]].
Max From 'Where The Wild Things Are'
Max is the adventurous little boy from Maurice Sendak's classic story "Where The Wild Things Are." To dress up as Max, your child can wear a pair of white or beige long john-style pajamas. Adding big buttons to the front of the pajamas will make them resemble Max's wolf suit. You can also create a simple crown out of felt and add faux fur around the base to recreate one of the iconic scenes from the story [[6]].
Arthur
Arthur is a lovable aardvark from the PBS show and book series. To achieve this book character costume, your child can wear a yellow sweater over a white collared shirt, baggy blue jeans, red sneakers, and a pair of rimmed glasses. Adding a red backpack and felt aardvark ears on a headband will complete the look [[7]].
Waldo From 'Where's Waldo?'
Waldo is the star of the "Where's Waldo?" book series by Martin Handford. To dress up as Waldo, your child can wear a red and white striped sweater or long-sleeved shirt paired with blue jeans. Adding black, round-rim glasses and a red and white beanie will complete the recognizable attire of Waldo. You can often find clothing with red and white stripes around the Christmas holidays [[8]].
Paddington Bear
Paddington Bear, created by Michael Bond, is an adorable bear from London. To recreate Paddington's look, your child can wear a floppy red hat and a long blue coat over brown clothing to represent the bear's fur. Carrying a well-worn suitcase can add to the charm of this book character costume [[9]].
Angelina Ballerina
Angelina Ballerina is the main character from the book series written by Katharine Holabird and illustrated by Helen Craig. If your child is a tiny dancer, they likely already have a pink leotard, ballet slippers, and a pink tutu. Adding a pair of grey mouse ears, drawing on mouse whiskers, and painting on a pink nose will complete the Angelina Ballerina costume [[10]].
The Cat In The Hat
The Cat in the Hat is a beloved character from Dr. Seuss' iconic story. To dress up as the Cat in the Hat, your child can wear all black clothing with a large white circle cut out of felt or paper stuck on their belly. Adding a pair of white gloves, drawing a cat nose and whiskers on their face with black eyeliner, and wearing a red-and-white-striped top hat will complete the costume [[11]].
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is the title character from Eric Carle's beloved book. To create this costume, your child can wear a long-sleeved top or sweater with alternating dark and light green stripes. Adding a red beanie to serve as the caterpillar's face will complete the costume. For extra detail, you can cut bug eyes and tentacles out of construction paper or felt to stick on the hat [[12]].
Thing 1 (And/Or Thing 2)
Thing 1 and Thing 2 are fun characters from "The Cat In The Hat" and other Dr. Seuss spin-off stories. To dress up as Thing 1 or Thing 2, your child can wear a red shirt and black leggings or pants. You can create the "Thing 1" or "Thing 2" emblem on the shirt by cutting circles out of white paper and using a black permanent marker. Adding a spiky blue wig or using blue temporary hair color spray can enhance the costume [[13]].
I hope these costume ideas inspire you and your child for their next book character day or costume-wearing occasion!
