This post could be entitled: Keep Calm and Buy a Costume!

1 March is the annual World Book Day, one of my favourite days of the year. I love seeing what the area’s children dress up as – most of the primary schools around us let children come in for the day disguised as their favourite book character. From nonchalent 11-year-olds dressed as Alex Rider (jeans, trainers) to teenies decked out as dragons from Julia Donaldson’s Zog (green box on head) and pirates from countless books, with a current favourite being Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs (every five-year-old owns a pirate costume), they’re all celebrating one of the easiest to enjoy art forms ever invented.

Over at the World Book Day website there’s a new app with free stories, plus information on how to get hold of your child’s £1 book token (every child aged up to 18 in full time school is entitled to one) should your school not be handing them out. At the angels & urchins website you’ll find loads of book reviews and reading inspiration – click here to find out more.

Dressing up, on the other hand, isn’t something I embrace so warmly. One of mine actively loathes being out of the comfort blanket of his school uniform, another has such grandiose ideas (last year he asked to be Tweedledum and Tweedledee) that it takes weeks of planning to make his dreams come true. This year we’re going for Charlie from the famous chocolate factory, with painted cardboard sweets and ragged trousers (the pirate trews coming into action once again). We’re also probably going for school uniform…

There are loads of costumes available at A2Z Kids if you’re not handy with empty boxes and bin liners. Good luck!