Children’s Book Week is such a special event, celebrating Australian children’s literature and reading in libraries, bookshops and schools around Australia. These celebrations often feature a character dress up day. Lots of fun, but finding a costume can also be stressful. So that’s why I create lists of super-easy, super-affordable and super-book-related costumes that you can throw together with wardrobe staples. And what’s more impressive than having a costume from one of the CBCA Book of the Year Notables books.
Madison’s Costume Mandates
Here are my personal beliefs about Book Week Costumes
- Make it easy. Use what you have in your wardrobe, dress-up box or craft box.
- Homemade costumes are awesome. Costumes shouldn’t have to cost you much.
- Child-driven costumes make the child more comfortable in what they are wearing and builds excitement.
- Plan early but have a back-up plan
- It’s okay to work backwards from the costume to the book.
- No costume is wrong. No costume shaming, please. Movie character, book related t-shirt. Honestly, everything is okay if it makes the child (or staff member) comfortable enough to dress up. You can even make a school uniform work.
- Print out the cover of your book and pin it to the front of your costume or add it to a ribbon to be worn around the neck. Makes it super easy to see which character you are.
Older Readers 2026 Notables
Drift, Pip Harry (Lothian Children’s Books)
Beekeeping outfit. Can be made from a white shirt and pants or white painter’s coveralls, and a large white broad-brim hat with netting draped over it. Jar of honey for effect (and snacks)
This Season’s Draft, Jason Gent (Allen & Unwin)
AFL football outfit and football.
Cruel is the Light, Sophie Clark (Penguin Random House Australia)
Black pants, shirt and boots. Black cape or jacket. Gold elements, such as wrist bands, vest, waist band. Sword (fake please, no real swords at school).
Younger Readers 2026 Notables
Chickenpox, Remy Lai (Allen & Unwin)
Red shorts, blue vest, white or yellow shirt. Use faceprint or makeup to create red dots all over arms and legs.
Creature Clinic, Gavin Aung Than (Figment Books)
Vet or doctor scrubs (or plain pants and tshirt), stethoscope, clipboard. Green face paint and green wig.
Into the Bewilderness, Gus Gordon (Figment Books)
This one would be best as a pair dress up. One in a grey blue jacket, red beanie and guitar, the other with orange/tan overalls or pants, a blue shirt and glasses.
Seriously Soccer, Matt Stanton (ABC Books)
Soccer outfit and soccer ball.
Inked, Karen Wasson, illustrated by Jake A Minton (Figment Books) –
Grey pants, white shirt, green jumper, backpack, Octopus toy
Early Childhood 2026 Notables
Castle Crashing, Andrea Rowe, illustrated by Hannah Sommerville (Little Hare)
Swim shirt and boards, beach bucket and spade, hat, beach ball.
The Thing About Christmas, Jo Dabrowski, illustrated by Briony Stewart (Little Book Press)
Christmas shirt or pyjamas, Santa hat.
Potion Commotion, Rebecca Grant, illustrated by Niña Nill (Affirm Press)
Pink dress, white long sleeve undershirt, witches hat and broom, toy cauldron, blue/purple wig
Where the River Runs Free, Vikki Conley, illustrated by Jedda Robaard (Windy Hollow Books)
Yellow rain coat, red gum books, hair in pigtails, long stick for walking and blue backpack
Now You Are a Chicken, Andrew McDonald, illustrated by Ben Wood (Little Hare)
Another great option for pairs. Chicken onesie for one person and a blue outfit, blue witches hat and green wig (and optional facepaint) for the other person. Alternative is to carry a chicken toy
Picture Book 2026 Notables
Dear Broccoli, Cate James, text by Jo Dabrowski (Affirm Press)
You have a few options with this one, and it’s such a fun book. Option 1 – regular outfit, shirt and pants and create a small broccoli from a paper towel roll painted green or wrapped in green paper, with a load of cotton wool balls stuck on top, also painted green. Write out some of the example letters to carry. Option two is to go as the broccoli. This one requires some crafting. Green pants and shirt and wig and face paint, or create an entire broccoli structure from cardboard, paint and fluff. It could also be a great costume for pairs.
Bob and Dob, Sean E Avery (Walker Books Australia)
Another pair costume. One person in all blue, the other in all red. Add a red or blue cap, with a yellow cardboard beak attached to the front or as a mask. Add feathers to the top of the cap or shirts or add small wings to the t-shirts with cardboard and safety pins.
Eve Pownall 2026 Notables
Diary of a Marine Biologist, Anita Thomas, Sarah Wilkins, Walker Books Australia
You need a sense of adventure for this one. Black wetsuit, snorkling goggles, flippers optional (be careful walking. An alternative is shoes with cardboard cutouts attached to the front to give the impression of flippers. Binoculars, a notebook and other accessories – checkout the checklist page.
More simple costume ideas
