Catholic primary school pupils dress as favourite fictional characters for World Book Day

Some familiar faces from children’s fiction put in an appearance when a Catholic primary school celebrated World Book Day yesterday (March 6).

Staff and pupils alike at St John Vianney Catholic Primary, West Denton, Newcastle-upon-Tyne arrived at the school gates dressed as their favourite fictional characters for the day, with teachers’ costumes including The Very Hungry Caterpillar from the Eric Carle book of the same name, and the witch from Julia Donaldson’s classic Room on the Broom.

“Encouraging a love of reading is extremely important at our school, and our annual World Book Day event is a great addition to celebrating the world of books,” said Steph Langford, Assistant Headteacher at St John Vianney, a member of the Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust (BBCET).

“The whole school, including staff, were invited to come into school dressed as a character from their favourite book.”

Pupils across all year groups also enjoyed a host of book-themed activities over the course of the day – along with a sweet World Book Day treat.

“During the day, all children engaged in a variety of activities, including the BBC World Book Day live lessons, designing their own book front cover, and a costume parade on the school yard,” continued Mrs Langford.

“In the afternoon, older children shared a story with a younger child during our ‘Bookie with a Cookie’ session,” she added. “The school kitchen baked 450 cookies for the day!”

Other BBCET members celebrating World Book Day included St Robert’s Catholic First School in Morpeth, and St Aidan’s Catholic Primary in Ashington.