11 Fantastic Book Character Costumes For Girls That Will Be A Huge Hit!
Book Character Dress Up Day is coming up, your daughter needs a costume, and you’re just not into the whole DIY thing. So that means re-using what you’ve already got in the dress up trunk, or order something new for her quickly while there is still time, right? But digging around online for something great takes time, and time is a precious commodity. Let me help you out!!
What follows are 11 Book Character Costumes for Girls that are well reviewed, priced decently, CUTE as anything, and available quickly through Amazon!
$ = under approx. $25 | $$ = between approx. $25 – $40 | $$$ = over approx. $40
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Little Red Riding Hood ($$)
Which little girl doesn’t know who Little Red Riding Hood is… and which little girl wouldn’t want to wear a lovely cape like the one that comes with THIS costume? Isn’t it the perfect outfit for a Storybook Character parade or dress up day? She’ll be off to visit Grandma and outwit the Big Bad Wolf in style!
This costume is a beautiful dress that looks like a vest, skirt, and apron over a white peasant blouse. The black velvet vest has a zipper at the back, and ribbon lacing in the front. This costume also comes with a knee-length hooded cape (Velcro fasteners on the tab at the neck).
Angelina Ballerina ($$)
If your little girl is into ballerinas, like many little girls are, she may just LOVE having this adorable mouse-ballerina costume set in her dress up clothes collection… and she can wear it for the first time dressing up as Angelina Ballerina, the quiet little mouse-ling who dreams of being a prima ballerina (book series by Katharine Holabird and illustrator Helen Craig).
Little Bo Peep ($$)
Lil’ Bo Peep is a great character for some dressing up fun, especially wearing a cute costume like this one! This outfit can be used for lots of pretend play, for stage performances, costume parties, Halloween and of course, for Book Character Day, World Book Day, or Storybook Character Dress Up Days!
The costume doesn’t come with the signature shepherd’s crook, but it does come with the lovely bonnet, gown, and pantaloons! If you aren’t crazy about blue (if your Little Bo Peep wanna-be prefers pink, perhaps), a quick browse on Amazon will show you all sorts of colors available.
Alice In Wonderland ($$)
Send your child on a whimsical trip down the rabbit hole as she goes off to Book Character Day at school dressed up in this classic Alice gown and apron! Alice in Wonderland is SUCH an imaginative story, filled with fantastic characters – many of who make great dress up options!
See my post on Alice In Wonderland Costumes For Kids for a huge assortment (over 50 ideas) of fun Wonderland character outfits!
Gretel (from Hansel & Gretel) or Heidi (from Heidi) ($$)
This costume can be used for a variety of Book Characters – anything with a German or Swiss or Bavarian theme. It looks like a great Gretel or Heidi costume to me! (Do kids still read Heidi, you think? I loved that trilogy as a girl!). You can also reuse this one for Oktoberfest parades or celebrations, if you’re into that.
This particular costume received great reviews compared to some of the other Bavarian costumes available… check it out!
Juliet, Maid Marian, Guinevere, or… ? ($$)
Middle school aged girls will love this costume option, I think! Being a Medieval or Renaissance Lady in this rich green crushed velvet gown would certainly be fun for a day, no? You can get other uses out of this one easily for a Medieval dress up day when she’s studying the Middle Ages. Plus, it’s a princess gown – and many girls don’t really get tired of playing dress up in classy, pretty princess gowns.
Dorothy ($)
“Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore”. If you’re looking for a sweet, classic Book Character costume for your daughter, why not introduce her to Dorothy, if she hasn’t met her yet? Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz is a fun, enjoyable story, with great characters and an interesting plot! And Dorothy’s dress (and iconic red shoes) makes for a great costume!
Dog, basket, and shoes not included. But the dress is… and it has sparkly sequins all over it. How’s that for a selling point for your not-so-certain-little-girl? 🙂
Cheshire Cat ($$$)
This is one of those amazing (and cozy) full body zip-up costumes for kids. The Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland is a fun favorite, with that famous toothy “I’m up to no good” smile! Your girl will love wearing this costume – comments by customers say it gets a lot of play time! So, money well spent if your child is into “dress up play”.
Ladybug Girl ($ – $$, size depending)
My little girl loves the “Ladybug Girl” books (especially the ones for older girls) by Jackie Davis and David Soman. Lulu (aka Ladybug Girl) has so much fun using her imagination to explore the world outside! Dressing up and pretending to be Ladybug Girl would be a lot of fun!
This costume pictured here isn’t a licenced “Ladybug Girl” costume, but it will totally do. This one includes the red tutu dress, wings, and antennae hairband. Add on some red or black rubber boots and your girl will be all set to conquer the outside world… and that Book Character Dress Up Parade!
Olivia ($-$$, size depending)
If your daughter is a fan of the Olivia books by Ian Falconer, she may love dressing up as Olivia! Oliva, the imaginative pig who gets into all sorts of mischief and fun with her friends, normally wears a red romper over a red and white striped shirt and leggings. You COULD DIY this outfit with a white shirt and leggings and some red tape if you have a red dress already, but this already made outfit that comes with the adorable big pig ears is just super cute as is, no?
Queen of Hearts (Alice In Wonderland) ($$)
The Queen of Hearts is a fun female villain to play. She gets to wear a fantastic dress, play-act like a “bossy royal snob” all day, and of course, declare loudly and often “OFF WITH THEIR HEADS” whenever she doesn’t agree with someone. 🙂 Sounds like one of the fun Book Character costumes for girls, no?
Like this idea? Check out my post called “Queen of Hearts Costumes For Girls” for a few more options and more details.
Hopefully you found a few great ideas above in these 11 fun Book Character Costumes For Girls! If you aren’t QUITE sold on them and want to see a few more ideas, see the following related posts!
- 16 Awesome Kids World Book Day Costumes
- 20 World Book Day Kids Costumes: 10 To DIY, 10 To Just Buy!
- 12 Easy DIY Dr. Seuss Costume Ideas For Kids
- The Best Cat In The Hat Costumes For Kids
I’d love to hear from you! Let me know what your daughters have done in the past, and which book characters they hope to dress up as this year!
Thanks for stopping by, and good luck with the costume hunt!
Marlaine
I always wanted to dress up as a ballerina. Back when I was a little girl I never got the chance. That ballerina costume looks nice!
Nowadays girls like to dress up as Elsa from Frozen. You see them everywhere! These classic looks are great alternatives. With online shopping, playing dress up is now more accessible. Thanks for showing me the way so that when it’s time for my kids to play dress up, I now know where to turn to. I always thought it was troublesome and expensive but you’ve proven me wrong!
Thanks for stopping by, Regina! Book character dress up is a lot of fun. I agree that Elsa and other Disney princesses are very popular for dress up, but perhaps I’m just a purist in that I think the character should actually come from a story that was first a book… then a movie. 🙂
Dressing up CAN be expensive, unfortunately. You raise a great point. I’ve really learned with my two kids to get double duty out of every costume I buy. If they need something for a specific event, I make sure it’s something they will love to play with later. Or wear for Halloween. 🙂 Thrift shops are awesome for costumes though – you can pick up great deals for cheap prices to stock your kids’ dress up trunk with the basics.
When your kids get to that age, you’re going to love watching their imaginations at work! Dress up play is awesome to watch too!
I love your review, especially the clothes worn by the girl whose nickname is the Red Little Riding Hood. I would most probably choose that for my 5 year old girl as a normal outfit to be donned for occassions like the graduation day of her preschool education. Thanks for sharing here.
Glad you enjoyed them, Simlulan! Thanks for commenting! Little Red Riding Hood is definitely cute enough to wear twice! 🙂
I love these costumes. I can’t wait for my 8 year old to come home from school so that we can look at these together. She loves to dress up and I have a feeling that the ladybug girl will be one of her favorites.
These are some great ideas, thank you for sharing!
Vicky
Hi Vicky,
Book Character Dress Up Day at school is a LOT of fun for all ages! I used to teach Grade 5 and some of the kids went alllllll out in their costumes (so did I, haha). I hope your daughter has fun getting some ideas from here!
Thanks for dropping by!
Marlaine
Hi Marlaine,
I have two nieces that use to dress up as a ballerina when they were still toddlers. They wore their costumes every day. These are cute costumes. I’m going to let my niece, now grown up, inform her of the different costumes here.
Thanks for sharing this post.
Glad you enjoyed it, Rosa! Thanks for dropping by! 🙂
Oh my goodness, these are so cute! Especially the Cheshire Cat and Olivia. Expecting our first girl in June, so I’m keeping these in mind for future Halloween’s!
Congratulations on the upcoming baby girl! They are a LOT of fun! 🙂
Queen of Hearts is my favorite butI think that Dorothy is the best character costume for my Maria! She is so nice! You know we have a dog, not Toto but it is ok! How nice and not expensive idea! Thank you so much, Marlaine!
Hi Rebecca,
Thanks for commenting, and I’m sure your daughter would make a lovely Dorothy, especially with a “Toto”! 🙂
Marlaine
These outfits are great, thank you for putting them all on one page, I keep going backwards and forwards looking at all the different options out there!
Obviously Alice in Wonderland is my favourite!! I think my little girl would be happy with any of these though! We have a book dress up day here at school once a year, last year my daughter went as Matilda from the Roald Dahl books – I’m not sure if you have them/read them in the US? Perhaps you could feature these on another post to make it easier for me this year!!?? Thought I might as well be cheeky and ask!! Thanks!
Hi Alice,
Sorry for the delayed response… my 2 year old decided he wanted to see if my laptop could fly. No. It could not. Here I am again now though. 🙂
I love the Roald Dahl books – the characters are so imaginative! I think your idea is a brilliant one – a page of great Roald Dahl character costumes would be lots of fun to develop! Keep your eye open for it!
Thanks for your comment, and I hope you continue to have fun with your costume searching for your daughter. I love book themed dress up days – can’t wait til my own kids get into it!
Cheers!
Marlaine