Children dress up as favourite book for World Book Day in Henley

CHILDREN at schools in and around Henley marked World Book Day by dressing up as their favourite storybook characters and “inspirational” figures.

Some also turned up for lessons wearing their “comfy clothes” on Thursday last week to celebrate the joy of reading.

Parents of pupils at Badgemore Primary School started the school day with reading workshops.

The children then showed off their costumes in assembly and older ones visited younger year groups to read stories to them.

The rest of the day was filled with book-themed games and activities including a scavenger hunt and author quizzes.

English lead Iqra Fiaz, who dressed up as the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, said: “The ability to read provides children with wider life opportunities and enables them to access so much more in their lives. We really emphasise reading and its importance and so that they have greater opportunities later on.”

Jolie James and Livia Palmer, both 10, dressed up as Juliet from Romeo and Juliet and Lokka, from The Girl who Lost a Leopard.

Jolie said: “I wanted to dress as Juliet because I like the story. It’s quite dramatic and the ending was a bit sad but it showed how much they did love each other.”

Pupils at Trinity Primary School in Henley vied to win a “Golden Ticket”, given to those who had participated the most throughout the day.

The reward was a hot chocolate with marshmallows in the office of headteacher Charlotte Whittle.

The theme of the day was the works of Roald Dahl, with nods to his books in many of the activities, including creating the BFG’s dream jars.

A challenge started during the covid-19 lockdown has continued with pupils submitting pictures of themselves reading in unusual places, which were projected on screen during assembly.

Caroline Newman, the deputy head, said: “The day is big, busy and there’s a lot of hype and excitement. We’ve been doing some of the activities for some years now so it’s starting to feel like a tradition for some.”

Rose Davies, seven, came dressed as Matilda from the self-titled book because she was “very strong, especially in her mind”.

Finlay Farewood, seven, came dressed as Harry Potter, having recently started the second book in the series. At Rupert House School in Henley, pupils started the day at assembly exploring the history and purpose of World Book Day. Teachers highlighted the importance of reading for pleasure and encouraged the children to discover new stories and authors.

In French lessons, pupils listened to the story Le Monstre Vert and those in Year 4 practised describing their costumes in French.

At lunchtime, the kitchen ran a competition to see which children could find golden tickets hidden on lunch trays.

Certificates were awarded to to Alfie Harrison, as Gangsta Granny, Benjamin Darvill, as Mr Twit from The Twits, Penn Goater, as Princess and the Pea, and Winter Purdy, as a bus from Wheels on the Bus. The day concluded with a book fair, organised by the Friends of Rupert House, and a cake sale, which raised £708.

Staff embraced the day by dressing up as dalmatians from 101 Dalmatians and Hannah Clough, head of English, dressed as Cruella de Vil. Headteacher Nick Armitage dressed as The Demon Headmaster.

Mrs Clough said: “Reading for pleasure is the single most important indicator of a child’s future success. Yet, in 2025, just one in three young people said they enjoyed reading in their spare time. At Rupert House, World Book Day is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the power of stories and the joy of reading and to encourage children to read for pleasure rather than reach for a device.”

At Sacred Heart School in Henley, Alex Glenn, nine, came dressed as Captain Underpants.

He wore a large pair of “underpants” over the top of a skin coloured onesie, a white swimming cap and red cape and carried with him a plunger.

Alex said: “I was going to wear this outfit in Year 6 but I just couldn’t wait that long. The reactions have been great!”.

Later, his plunger prop caused come amusement after it became stuck to a classroom door. The Queen of Hearts also attended, known to her friends as Ailis Healy, nine. She said her favourite part of the Alice in Wonderland was where the Cheshire Cat gives directions.

St Mary’s School in Henley saw Emily Pankhurst, Frida Kahlo, David Attenborough and multiple Taylor Swifts.

Rosie Wilkinson, head of English, said pupils were encouraged to dress as an inspirational, non-fiction person who has been written about or has written a book themselves.

She said: “It was a way to steer away from the Spidermen and Elsas, to get the students to think about what they may have read.”

Activities included gingerbread men decorating, making puppets of book characters, and a literary quiz. Teachers also read their favourite children’s books out loud, with students free to choose which story to listen to.

At Gillotts School in Henley, a bake sale took place, which raised more than £150 for BookAid, a charity supporting book provision internationally.

Headteacher Catharine Darnton said: “Dressing up as a book character and enjoying a cake sale added some welcome joy to a school day. It’s always great to see other students’ reactions to the costumes of students and staff.”

The school also hosted a “staff shelfie” where they took a photo of the book they were reading, covering their face and pupils had to guess which staff member it was.

Peppard Primary School hosted a space-themed day, with astronauts and aliens piling in through the school gates.

A book swap was organised, where children brought in a book from home to exchange with a peer. Other activities included a “Dr Know-It All” writing activity where they presented imagined scientific discoveries and a “Masked Reader” challenge where teachers recorded themselves reading part of a poem while using a digital mask to disguise their identity. Children then had to guess the staff member.

Activities continued into the evening where children were invited to return to school in their pyjamas to listen to favourite stories read by staff and volunteers while sipping on hot chocolate and eating biscuits.

Students at Valley Road Primary School in Henley designed book covers and created cut outs of their favourite characters.

The school eco council ran an initiative which encouraged students to bring in costumes from past World Book Days to be swapped with other students. This was designed to reduce costs and waste of buying new costumes each year.

Zara Taylor, Yasin Miah and Grace Rogers dressed as Rocket from Look Up! By Nathan Bryon, Wally from Where’s Wally and Angelina from Angelina Ballerina.

Zara said: “Rocket is a space person. I also really like space, and I really like meteor showers.”

Grace said: “I like dancing and I like dressing up as animals and my mum really liked this book when she was little.” Headteacher Tim Coulson said: “World Book Day is always a fantastic experience. The children and staff really let their imaginations go wild and I love it because I get to find out about books which I’ve never heard of.

Sonning Common Primary School dedicated an entire day to reading-based activities.

Pupils wore pyjamas to school, while teachers and grown ups read their favourite fiction and non-fiction books, which was followed by a ultimate character battle speech competition.

The children drew pictures of their favourite reading spots and each class developed its own reading charter.

The day ended with a whole school bedtime story.

At Crazies Hill Primary School, students were invited to come dressed as their favourite book character, in their pyjamas, or as a famous person who has inspired them.

Inspired by the “three Bs” of Reading town, the school also themed the day on three Bs, which were book characters, bedtime stories and big dreams biographies.

Playday Nursery in Caversham hosted a fundraising event where children walked 10 laps of the field to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

With one of the staff members recently undergoing surgery to treat the disease, parents and guardians donated nearly £300.

All the children dressed up as dalmatians, with the nursery’s senior director, Sam Norris, playing the role of Cruella De Vil.

Jan Day, the nursery director, said: “We asked them to come in wearing black and white to keep things simple. We then did face painting and they made their own ears and tails.”