World Book Day Is Imminent. 13 Last-Minute Costumes To Stick In Your Basket

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World Book Day seems to come around in the blink of an eye – and every year I find myself scrabbling to pull together a suitable costume that won’t result in an early-morning meltdown.

If you don’t have time to craft something from scratch – and let’s face it, who does with all the other life and school admin piling up? – I’ve done the heavy lifting for you.

Here’s a cool collection of costumes (and matching books), so you can simply click, add to basket, hit ‘buy’ and feel smug next Thursday (5 March) when everything’s sorted.

You’re welcome. 

Where did World Book Day come from?

It’s thought the idea behind World Book Day actually began in Spain, with the Catalan tradition of giving books to friends and family in honour of the author Miguel de Cervantes.

In 1995, World Book and Copyright Day was created by UNESCO with a view to promoting reading, publishing and copyright. Each year it falls on 23 April.

As children in the UK are usually on a school holiday around that time of year, World Book Day is typically celebrated on the first Thursday in March instead.