Book Week 2025: Borrow a costume and spark and adventure

6 August 2025

From 16 to 23 August, families across South Australia will celebrate 80 years of Children’s Book Week with the theme 'Book an Adventure'. It’s a time for young readers to dress up as beloved book characters and dive into the magic of children’s literature.

Image credit: The Children's Book Council of Australia.

This year’s theme invites children to explore new worlds and bring their favourite stories to life. And if you’re wondering how to pull together a costume - your local library has you covered.

Borrow a costume from your local library

Did you know that some public libraries and toy libraries across South Australia lend out costumes for Book Week? It’s a fun and affordable way to get involved, while also making use of what’s already in the community.

City of West Torrens Library offers a range of children’s costumes for loan as part of its regular collection.
City of Prospect’s toy library has so many options, including superheroes, fairytale characters and frontline workers.
Port Adelaide Enfield Libraries has favourites like Harry Potter, Marvel, The Wizard of Oz and classic princess costumes.
Mount Barker Community Library has many options including dinosaurs, Batman and Olaf from Frozen.
Unley Libraries have everything from Disney characters, Minions, Wiggles, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, mermaids and dragons, perfect for little imaginations and adventurers.

Costume fun at Unley Toy Library!

Costume ideas to get you started

Still deciding what character to be? Here are some book-themed costume ideas, plus the books to borrow that match:

The Treasure of Pirate Frank – set sail in a red shirt, jeans and boots, or borrow a full costume from your local library.
The Truck Cat – dress up as Tinka the cat with some face-paint, or Yacoub with a yellow hat and red flannel shirt.
Harry Potter – always a popular choice and PAE Libraries even have the characters costumes ready to borrow.
Bluey – there are so many Bluey books to choose from, but we think Camping or The Creek are great adventure options. Unley toy library has a Bluey costume you can borrow, or you can easily create a bluey costume with blue clothes and a printable mask.
Where’s Wally – red and white striped shirt, beanie and glasses - easy and instantly recognisable.
Diary of a Wombat – an Australian classic that you can replicate with a brown hoodie and face paint and a bunch of carrots in hand.

You can borrow these books and many more at your local library.

Free events and workshops

Many libraries are also running free Book Week events, including themed story time, craft sessions and costume-making workshops. Some are hosting photo competitions or displays where families can show off their book-inspired creations. Check your local library to see what’s on.

Book Week is more than costumes and parades and borrowing costumes and books from libraries makes participation easier and more inclusive. Libraries across South Australia support nearly half a million members each year and host millions of visits.

This Book Week, borrow a costume, choose a story and book an adventure at your local library to celebrate the magic of reading.