With World Book Day Coming up, it's time to get your costumes ready

Join us as we follow the magical worlds of Fantastic Beasts and Harry Potter

Kids love dressing up, and there are a few days of the year like World Book Day where they get the opportunity to do that all day. Whether it's your favourite fantasy hero or the elusive legend that is Wally in his stripey get up, the literary celebration allows kids to run wild with their imaginations and dive into their very favourite books.

Buying costumes for your little ones, whether it's Halloween or just for play, can be very expensive for parents though, with the best deals often snapped up fast. World Book Day also falls on Thursday, March 3 this year, which is tomorrow, so if you haven't got one already, there isn't long left to put a quick outfit together for your children.

With that in mind we've put together a few last-minute costume tips which you can pick up off the high street or from your local shopping centre, so your kids can dress as their favourite characters without breaking the bank.

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For the 25th anniversary of World Book Day, what could be a more timeless costume to go for than Wally or Wenda, of the Where's Wally? series of books enjoyed by kids of all ages. To dress as Wally and Wenda you only really need three key items, and some of it you'll no doubt already have lying around.

Start off with a pair of blue trousers, whether those are just classic blue jeans or any other material, the shade doesn't really matter, as it's the top half of this outfit that does the heavy lifting. If you're desperate for it to be perfect and happy to spend a little extra, you can find these perfect light blue cotton chinos to fit a boy or girl for just £7.99 from H&M.

Your best bet for Wally's iconic stripey shirt is at Sainsbury's own clothing brand Tu, where they sell a simple striped red and white T-shirt for a bargain £1.20, suitable for kids aged 3 up to 14. For the hat things may be a little harder, with no time left to order online, your best bet is to visit your local fancy dress store, or in the worst case, grab a Santa hat.

The final piece here is the all-important glasses, which may also prove handy if you're after another of the popular outfits on our list, and that's a pair of round spectacles.

Claire's Accessories have stores all over London and the country as a whole, and you can pick up a pair of perfectly round kids glasses, just right for Wally or 'the boy who lived' for just £6.80 in stores as you can see here.

After that there isn't much more you need to pull off Potter, the main recurring costume he wears being a black Hogwarts cloak. The most value for money way to replicate this is with something that could also have everyday use, like this black dressing gown, £8 from George at Asda, in sizes from 3-16.

Simply wear whatever you like on your bottom half and something with a little red under your cloak and you'll be able to pass as the famous wizard with no trouble.

The heroine of the Hunger Games novels, Katniss Everdeen is a favourite for thousands of kids across the country, and her outfit is nice and easy to mockup too.

The key here is her bow and arrows, but most of the other items you'll probably already have. Katniss wears a lot of black combat gear, so if you have a pair of black cargo trousers those are perfect, but camo will also work. On the top half, you want a dark jacket, black if you have one, Matalan sells a black 3-13 kids jacket from £5 to £7 here which is ideal.

Lastly you just need that bow. For £9 from Smyth's Toys who have four locations across London, you can get a full set with a bow, three arrows and a target, completing the look.

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David Walliams has made a surprising success as a children's author after his earlier days in adult comedy. His bestseller Gangsta Granny is the most popular of these and is another excellent character to dress up as.

For this you'll need a pillowcase to carry around your loot and a black skirt if you have one spare, not to worry if it's oversized as below knee height is ideal. This George Skirt is just £6 if you need to go out and find one.

Gangsta Granny wears a classic black burglar mask over her eyes, to save money buying one specially, you can easily create one of these from a piece of black A4 card at home if you pop to the local craft store.

Finally, the main event for Gangsta Granny is her silver curly hair and pink cardigan, for this try your local charity shops or this excellently granny-esque pink cardigan is just £7 at Matalan.

For Granny's wig, you'll probably have to go to your local costume shop as these are only really available online and with World Book Day on Thursday, there isn't time for posting!

If you're in a rush costume ideas don't get much easier than this. Diary of a Wimpy Kid has proved a huge hit amongst kids across the country with its zany humour and relatable school experiences. Even better for dress-up purposes, its protagonist is a black and white pencil drawing, making the outfit a doddle to copy.

Wearing a simple white t-shirt on his top half most people will have one of these already, either in their PE kit or around the house. If not they're as cheap as £1.99 at Decathlon, or £2.99 from H&M.

On the bottom you'll need a pair of black shorts, again PE kit would work fine for this or you can find a cheap pair on the high street in no time. White socks finish off the look, with any shoes you want, but trainers if you have them.

To really make it obvious who you are, you could also make your very own mask at home, using a big sheet of card draw your own version of the Wimpy Kid's head, and cut it out to use as your very own mask, either with a string headband or you could tape a stick to it to hold up in front of your face.

Thanks to the impressionism of Quentin Blake's illustration, you have a bit more free reign with these two. Some of Roald Dahl's most famous characters, the nasty Twits are a messy pair.

Scruff up your hair, maybe add a few dirty marks to some old clothes or even rescue an old outfit from the washing basket if you're brave enough to own the stink!

Alternatively if you don't mind splashing a little bit of cash, see if you can find a beard for Mr Twit or wig for Mrs Twit in your local fancy dress shop, these range between £2 and £7 online so you can expect that price in most stores.

You could even fashion yourself a walking stick, or find one in a local charity shop to really finish up the Mrs Twit costume.

One for the younger readers, this is very straightforward, the nation's favourite pig (sorry Piglet), you might need a little face paint but some pink tights and a red dress will go a long way here.

This dark red dress from H&M would absolutely get more use than just fancy dress, and for just £12.99 it's got to be worth it. Paired with these £4.50 to £6 pink tights from Next you'll be all set to live out your preschool pig dreams.

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