World Book Day: Look back at 175 quirky pictures of children celebrating world book day

With world book day right around the corner on Thursday, March 5, this roundup revisits 175 quirky pictures of children’s costumes from previous celebrations. The collection highlights outfits from Portsmouth, Cheshire and Warrington schools and notes the World Book Day theme for this year.

World Book Day in Portsmouth

Children from schools across Portsmouth and its surrounding area pulled out the stops, dressing as characters ranging from Where’s Wally to Harry Potter to Dear Zoo. Staff and pupils from Victory Primary School dressed to impress for World Book Day 2025; pupils, staff and even Buddy the dog from Victory Primary School were pictured in costume. Photos by Alex Shute accompany the gallery.

Cheshire costumes and Education

There is a notable Cheshire strand in the gallery. Kenzie Lowndes from Weaverham appeared as Mr Bump. Eight-year-old Keffran McGrath-McElhoney dressed as Hattie Peck. Eleven-year-old Louie Whittaker turned up as Violet Beauregarde. Swayze, Kismet and Kasteel Lumsden appeared as Willy Wonka, an Oompa Loompa and Charlie Bucket. Two-year-old Leo Woodward was Postman Pat. Five-year-old Ava Rose Leigh from Barnton Primary School dressed as Elsa. Darnhall Primary School student Freddie Burke, seven, was Elmer the elephant. Ten-week-old Joseph Lambert appeared as Where’s Wally. The Smeds and The Smoos, Daisy Smith and Freddie Lee, six, who go to Wincham Primary School, were also featured.

Historic photos from Warrington

The Warrington collection runs back through multiple years and schools. St Pauls in Burtonwood is shown from 2014. St Peters, Woolston is shown from 2012. Penketh Primary in 2012 is captioned with a left-to-right rear line of Kiera Gerrard, Adam Glover, Jake Parker, Taya Currie, Gabrielle Andrus, and Ayesha Williams, with Ryan Williams and Charlotte Downes at the front. Woolston Community Primary School appears from 2008. St Bridgets School in 2011 is pictured with Lily Harrison, 8, getting a fright from skeleton Daryl Richardson, 9. Penketh Primary School’s mad hatter tea party from 2014 includes Olivia Tran as Alice and Tilly Unsworth as the white rabbit among a handful of hatters. Statham Primary School appears from 2013. St Monica’s Primary School is represented in 2014 with a group caption listing Ryan Jervis, Emilia Manfredi, Sam Harrison, Georgia Povey, and Fabienne Fisher; that same school in 2014 also shows Raphael Tabiner, Millie Haselden, Harry Smithers, and Ben Warburton. Stockton Heath Primary School appears from 2015. St Vincent’s Primary and Bruche Community Primary School are shown from 2015. Ravenbank Primary, Lymm, is included from 2014. Locking Stumps Community Primary School from 2005 is pictured with Sean Whitehead aged 8 as Captain Hook. Bradshaw Primary School from 2005 is pictured with Jade Sweeney aged 9 as Shrek. Newchurch Primary School from 2005 is pictured from left with Amy Will, 7, Eleanor Dunston, 6, Oliver Weight, 7 and Richard Scholes, 7.

Theme, tokens and subscriptions

The theme for World Book Day this year is ‘Go All In’ in a bid to promote the importance of reading in a modern and fun way. Youngsters also benefit from a book token to spend at participating stores. Did you know that with a Digital Subscription you can get unlimited access to the website including premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more?

Odd other headlines and notes

The gallery item ran alongside a variety of unrelated headlines and items. Team USA is looking for redemption in the 2026 World Baseball Classic after losing to Japan in the final in 2023. Woods rejoins the Rams as a coach less than a week after announcing his retirement as a player with the team. The long-awaited showdown between Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani is almost at the finish line. The S&P 500 was on track for double-digit earnings growth, with more than half of companies having reported Q4 results so far. More than a decade after the pair broke records with their long-awaited showdown, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao are running it back.

What will your little ones be dressing up as this year? Let us know in the comments.

Photos by Alex Shute appear throughout the gallery.

Closing note: this gallery looks back at some of last year’s incredible outfits while also flagging that World Book Day is set for Thursday, March 5 this year and that World Book Day 2026 is also scheduled for March 5.