World Book Day: Look back at 175 quirky pictures and Cheshire’s most creative outfits
As World Book Day approaches, a fresh gallery of 175 images revisits children’s costumes from last year and beyond, underscoring the festival’s 'Go All In' push to make reading modern and fun. The timing matters because the event is set for March 5 and pupils receive book tokens to spend at participating stores, driving schools and communities to stage colourful dress-up celebrations.
Victory Primary School in Portsmouth
Staff and pupils from Victory Primary School in Portsmouth featured prominently in the recent collection, with multiple photographs showing teachers, students and Buddy the dog dressed up for World Book Day 2025. Those images were credited to photographer Alex Shute and emphasise participation across the Portsmouth area, where outfits ranged from Where's Wally to Harry Potter to Dear Zoo.
World Book Day costumes in Cheshire
Cheshire schools and nurseries supplied a roster of named costumes and ages, offering a snapshot of local creativity. Kenzie Lowndes from Weaverham appeared as Mr Bump. Eight-year-old Keffran McGrath-McElhoney turned up as Hattie Peck, while eleven-year-old Louie Whittaker dressed as Violet Beauregarde. Swayze, Kismet and Kasteel Lumsden appeared respectively as Willy Wonka, an Oompa Loompa and Charlie Bucket. Two-year-old Leo Woodward was Postman Pat. Five-year-old Ava Rose Leigh represented Elsa for Barnton Primary School. Darnhall Primary School pupil Freddie Burke, seven, came as Elmer the elephant. Ten-week-old Joseph Lambert posed as Where's Wally. The Smeds and The Smoos — Daisy Smith and Freddie Lee, six, who attend Wincham Primary School — were also pictured.
Penketh Primary and archive photographs
Archive material spans decades and dozens of named pupils: St Pauls in Burtonwood and St Peters, Woolston sit alongside Penketh Primary images from 2012 showing, left to right at the rear, Kiera Gerrard, Adam Glover, Jake Parker, Taya Currie and Gabrielle Andrus, with Ayesha Williams, Ryan Williams and Charlotte Downes at the front. Penketh is also represented by a 2014 mad hatter tea party featuring Olivia Tran as Alice and Tilly Unsworth as the White Rabbit.
St Monica's Primary School and other dated entries
Several St Monica's Primary School groups from 2014 appear in the archive: one photograph lists Ryan Jervis, Emilia Manfredi, Sam Harrison, Georgia Povey and Fabienne Fisher; another names Raphael Tabiner, Millie Haselden, Harry Smithers and Ben Warburton. Other schools and years include Woolston Community Primary School, St Bridgets School where eight-year-old Lily Harrison reacts to skeleton Daryl Richardson, nine, Statham Primary School, Stockton Heath Primary School, St Vincent's Primary, Bruche Community Primary School and Ravenbank Primary, Lymm.
Early 2000s photographs: Locking Stumps, Bradshaw and Newchurch Primary
Earlier entries in the archive chart World Book Day dressing across the mid-2000s: Locking Stumps Community Primary School, 2005, shows Sean Whitehead, aged 8, as Captain Hook. Bradshaw Primary School from 2005 features Jade Sweeney, aged 9, as Shrek. Newchurch Primary School, 2005, is pictured with Amy Will, 7; Eleanor Dunston, 6; Oliver Weight, 7; and Richard Scholes, 7.
Credits, incentives and unrelated headlines observed in coverage
Photographs in the recent galleries carry credits to Alex Shute and image notices listed as NQ for older archive shots. The World Book Day initiative carries the theme 'Go All In' to promote reading in a modern and fun way and provides participating youngsters with a book token to spend at participating stores. Other headlines appearing alongside these pictures in feeds referenced a range of unrelated items: the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, the announcement of John Legend, Kelly Clarkson and Adam Levine as coaches for season 29 of The Voice, a debate on parents saying children learn more abroad while teachers note rising absences, commentary on Samsung using an AI chip shortage to boost margins, and a sports item about LeBron James calling out Jaylen Brown for comments about Bronny.
What makes this notable is the breadth of participation captured — from ten-week-old Joseph Lambert as Where's Wally to school groups spanning 2005 to 2015 — showing how a single theme and the promise of book tokens can prompt sustained community engagement across regions. The photograph collections, numbering 175 in total, offer a measurable record of that engagement and of schools’ decisions to stage costume celebrations that tie into wider promotional messaging for reading.
