Books to Inspire Halloween Costumes
Stumped on what to be for Halloween this year? Well, we have found a solution that's sure to spark an endless amount of costume inspiration: your bookshelf (yes, we’re serious). Some of the best dress-up ideas can be plucked straight from the pages of some of your favorite books. Halloween presents the perfect opportunity for kids, teachers, librarians, and parents to be anything they want to be: firefighters, astronauts, inventors, athletes, robots, and more! Show your love of food by dressing up as salt and pepper or strawberry jam (from our mouthwatering Taste the World series). Want to go as a mysterious abnormal creature? We suggest dressing up as Bigfoot, a Unicorn, or a Mermaid from Abnormal Field Guides to Cryptic Creatures. To help get your wheels turning, we have rounded up our favorite book series characters to dress up as this Halloween! Regardless of what you choose as your main source of inspiration, a literary-inspired costume is an easy, smart, and conversation-starting choice.
If you’re a foodie, step up your dress-up game with a clever food-themed costume this year, inspired by our Taste the World! series. Each volume in this colorfully illustrated series traces the origins of an important food or ingredient and its journey to cultures around the world. Choose from a number of characters, including Chocolate, Corn, Garlic, Rice, Tomatoes, and more. Helpful hints and easy-to-make recipes are also offered throughout. The best part? No one will be asking, "So, what are you?"
If you’re a sports fanatic, dress up as your favorite player! But first, start by exploring the most iconic athletes in the history of sports and their inspirational stories with our Sports Superstars 1 and Sports Superstars 2 sets. From catching touchdowns, scoring goals, or slamming acrobatic dunks, this series takes a look at some of history’s greatest athletes, from Patrick Mahomes to LeBron James, Aaron Judge to Tom Brady, and more.
If you want to be a space explorer, blast off with Out of This World 2 and you could be trading your astronaut spacesuit costume for the real deal. Developed in collaboration with NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts program, each volume features scientists who went from being students to inventors, and now tackle some of NASA's biggest challenges. Then, get a jump start on learning all about the sun and everything that orbits it—the planets, dwarf planets, moons, millions of asteroids, comets, and meteors—in our new Our Solar System series. Both will have you ready for space exploration and adventure!
If you dream of being a superhero, start by learning about real-life heroes with our How I Changed the World series. See the struggles, accomplishments, and pivotal events that shaped some of history’s greatest influencers from the interconnected worlds of science, art, politics, and social change. Plus, learn about all the hard work done by the heroes you encounter every day—like firefighters and nurses—in Learning Ladders: Community Helpers.
If you’re fascinated with technology, coding and computer basics come alive in the newest installment of the popular Building Blocks series—Building Blocks of Computer Science. Developed in consultation with a coding bootcamp, join Al, Stack, and other colorful characters in a graphic-novel style adventure. Then, examine how machines are becoming an ever-more-crucial part of our lives with Robots. Each volume uncovers the history behind robots and discusses how they may impact our future. Topics range from the everyday to the truly weird.
If you believe in Bigfoot, our Abnormal Field Guides to Cryptic Creatures series leads readers on an educational (and unconventional) safari in search of the world’s most mysterious creatures. Choose from a number of characters, including Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, Mermaids, Unicorns, and more. You’ll also discover the facts (and fiction) behind these outlandish legends and unbelievable sightings.
If you're a fan of fairy tales, The Adventures of Young H.C. Andersen series joins a young Hans Christian Andersen on a wondrous journey as he meets characters who would later inspire his famous tales as he battles with those who want to steal his magic hat and his very imagination. Choose from a number of characters, including “Thumbelina,” “The Ugly Duckling,” “The Little Mermaid,” or you could even go as Hans Christian Andersen himself!
If you’re dressing as a mad scientist for Halloween, learn all about wacky scientists, accidental inventors, and the wildest inventions with True or False? Inventions. There are some facts so crazy that you may not believe them! Then, get a jump start on learning all about science with our Building Blocks of Physical Science series. These comic-style books teach the fundamentals of physics through such volumes as Energy, Magnetism, and Matter and How It Changes.
It’s important to remember that these dreams aren’t limited to Halloween. Everyone has the capacity to be whatever they’d like to be! Tag us in your celebrations using @worldbookinc for a chance to be featured on our social feeds.