This year was my first time going to my daughter’s Book Week parade at school. It was held on the school lawn on Monday 24 August, and a lot of other parents came too. It was very lively, and everyone seemed to be in a good mood.
What Book Week Is
Book Week is run every year by the Children’s Book Council of Australia. In 2026 it ran from Saturday 22 to Friday 28 August, and the theme was Symphony of Stories. The CBCA created it to encourage children to love reading and books. Many schools organise their own events during the week, and the costume parade is the best-known one. Kids dress up as characters from books, and at many schools the teachers dress up as well. The day of the parade depends on the school, and ours was on the Monday, the first school day of the week.
The Parade on the Lawn
The kids walked around the lawn to show their costumes to the parents. I counted four big dinosaurs and two small ones, and I lost count of the Spider-Men. A lot of the costumes had clearly taken effort, and many were handmade. A friend told me she spent three hours making one costume by hand. That’s a lot of love from a mum.
Our Costumes
I didn’t make anything this year. I took the Halloween costume out of the cupboard and used that, and it worked fine. My son still insisted on being a dinosaur. When we got to the school, he found several boys in his sister’s year who were dressed as dinosaurs too. He was so happy to find a whole group of other dinosaurs. The main thing is that the kids enjoy it, and I think they did.
The Minecraft Steve Costume
A friend’s daughter is really into Minecraft, so it was no surprise when she chose Steve for Book Week. My friend was probably fooled by how square Steve looks and promised to make one together with her. It turned out there’s no trick to it. It just takes time.
The family started with two cardboard boxes of different sizes, one for the head and one for the body. They found a printable pattern online, drew a grid of squares on the boxes and painted each square with gouache paint. They used different shades of colour and tried to blend the edges so they looked natural. The daughter designed the sword herself. The whole family worked on it for two evenings, and they were very happy with how it turned out.
The Sun and Next Year
The only thing that wasn’t perfect was the sun. The parade was outside on the lawn, and it was very sunny. Everything else was good. Next year I’ll have some experience, and I’ll definitely bring a hat and sunglasses.
The CBCA lists Book Week 2027 as Saturday 21 to Friday 27 August. Check your school newsletter for the parade day, because it changes from school to school. Book Week falls in Term 3, and you can see when Term 3 starts and finishes in your state on our school holidays and term dates for 2026 page.
Was It Worth Going?
Yes. The parade was cheerful, the costumes were creative, and the kids were clearly having fun. The sun was the only thing I’d change. It’s a small event in the school year, and I’m already looking forward to next year’s.