Annual event to encourage children to read for pleasure is sore spot for parents under 'growing pressure' to create character costumes

Makeup artist Melissa Wright, famed for her costume ingenuity, had previously made waves online after her son donned Prince Harry attire for 2023's World Book Day. This year, her five-year-old son Ellis set his sights on impersonating the President.

But this year, an entire school in Essex was transformed into the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as featured in the Harry Potter books and films. For one day only, pupils at Hogarth Primary School,

FROM Harry Potter to The Gruffalo and Mary Poppins to Gangsta Grannis, children across Warrington celebrated their favourite characters for World Book Day 202.

We asked you, the readers, to send us your photographs of the kids dressed up for their World Book Day 2025 celebrations at school or nursery.

Pupils at a primary school in Plymouth have been putting their reading skills to the test for World Book Day by learning how to read the news. Ernesettle Community School said it wanted to link the event to aspirational careers to highlight "how important reading is to many jobs".

Learners at Lyndon School, part of the Summit Learning Trust, have been celebrating World Book Day. This year’s theme, “Read Your Way,” encouraged children to explore reading in their own way, making it a fun and personal experience.