World Book Day is great fun... if you're a child, that is!
World Book Day 2018 is finally here; but while children up and down the country are delighted to ditch their school uniforms for a day, a survey has found that 73% of parents think the whole event is a huge hassle!
World Book Day was conceived as a way to celebrate authors, illustrators, books and reading, but has morphed into the second biggest fancy dress day of the year (second only to Halloween).
The survey - which was commissioned by Mumsnet - also found that while 33% of mums ‘cobble something together’ from the dressing up box, 6% admitted it was all too much effort and they sent their kids into school in uniform.
GALLERY: 17 celebrity offspring in their World Book Day costumes
World Book Day costumes celebrity children
1 of 11Denise Van Outen's daugther Betsy
Denise Van Outen has got her daughter Betsy into the spirit by dressing him up as J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter. She wrote: "Our little Harry Potter lost a tooth yesterday ud83dude01". Are your kids obsessed with J. K. Rowling's best-selling book? Then bag a Harry Potter-inspired costume for a 'spelltacular' day.
2 of 11Gemma Bissix's daughter Juliette
Ex-Hollyoaks actress Gemma Bissix got her little toddler Juliette dressed up as a lion from her fave book: "Happy #WorldBookDay ud83dudcda Juliette will mostly be Mr Lion ud83eudd81 she wouldn't wear the mane I made for her so her hair can be the mane!!"We're roaring over how cute this lion onesie for babies is. You won't able to resist it for World Book Day.
3 of 11Darren Day's daughter Maddy
West End performer Darren Day dressed his little girl Maddy up as Veruca Salt from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, writing: "Our Maddy channeling Veruca Salt". We've got the golden ticket to the cutest Veruca Salt outfit. You're welcome.
4 of 11Fearne Cotton's son Rex
Fearne Cotton is known for making sure her children's faces are never shown online, and if she does upload one, their faces are always obscured. She's shared a rare snap of her son Rex, with the caption: "World book day is like ever other day for Rex. He wears his squid hat. The only fancy dress he'll tolerate".
5 of 11Nicola McLean's sons Striker and Rocky
Nicola McLean shared this lovely photo of her two boys Striker and Rocky as Odlaw the baddie from Where's Wally and Clark Kent, Superman's down-time alter ego. She captioned it: "So cute #worldbookday #odlaw #clarkkent".Forget Where's Wally, we've found the best Odlaw getup on Amazon.
6 of 11Rio Ferdinand's children Lorenz, Tate and Tia
Even footballer Rio Ferdinand got his kids in the spirit! He wrote: "My little ones have gone for it this morning!! The make up was on point too!!"
7 of 11Geri Horner's daughter Bluebell
Geri Horner's little girl Bluebell has gone off to schoolas the Queen of Hearts from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. The Spice Girl captioned the super cute snap: "Bluebell - queen of hearts ❤ufe0f doing her make up. ud83dude0d"Are you looking for a wicked good alternative? We can't believe how cheap this Queen of Hearts dress is.
8 of 11Jamie and Jools Oliver's daughter Petal
Jamie Oliver's wife Jools dressed one of their little girls up as Matilda from the book by Roald Dahl. She's dressed in a school uniform with a pile of books under her arm and a big ole grin on her face. Cute! Jools simply captioned the photo: "Matilda ud83dudc99".Help your little one feel like they have superpowers too, with this adorable Matilda costume.
9 of 11Kate Garraway's children Darcey and William
Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway has shared a snap of her two kids captioned: "Chuffed to bits with my kids last minute costumes for #worldbookday- can u guess who they are meant to be?" But we think we've worked it out...
10 of 11Clemmie Hooper's daughters Anya and Marnie
Midwife Clemmie Hooper has become rather famous in the last few months, especially after her book, How to Grow a Baby and Push It Out: A Guide to Pregnancy and Birth Straight from the Midwife's Mouth, was released last month. She captioned her pic: "Sophie from the BFG and The Illustrated Mum"
11 of 11Wayne and Coleen Rooney's sons Kai and Klay
Coleen Rooney got her two eldest sons Kai and Klay in the spirit by dressing them up as Horrid Henry! She wrote: "World book day 2017.... double trouble!! Horrid Henry x2".Help your little one dress up as their favourite terror with this fun Horrid Henry fancy dress outfit.
Mumsnet CEO Justine Roberts said: "Each year, when they finally discover the letter their child has left in the furthest recesses of the book bag, parents on Mumsnet ask frantically for last-minute costume ideas. Thankfully, there are lots of brilliant, creative suggestions for creating the perfect Hermione or Charlie Bucket using only craft paper, glue and an old pair of tights.
"Despite the inconvenience and occasional howls of protest, it’s one of those annual celebrations that most parents look back on with fondness once their children have outgrown it. If nothing else, it’s an excellent source of ridiculous photos to whip out at eighteenth birthday parties."
So what costumes are set to be top of the World Book Day charts this year?
Well according to Mumsnet, the five most popular costume choices for 2018 are Roald Dahl characters, Harry Potter characters, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler characters, Fairy story or nursery rhyme characters or superheroes.
Mumsnet users aren't the only people questioning the fun of World Book Day. Earlier in the week, school heads raised concerns that World Book Day puts undue pressure on families who are struggling financially.
Will you be dressing your little one up on World Book Day? Do you find it a hassle? Join the conversation on Facebook.