Schools across the island were full of colour and creativity on Thursday as children celebrated World Book Day 2026 by dressing up as their favourite literary characters.

From Harry Potter to The Gruffalo, Cat in the Hat to Willy Wonka, pupils embraced the spirit of the annual event, which is designed to encourage a love of reading among young people.

World Book Day, which falls on the first Thursday of March each year, was first established by UNESCO in 1995 to promote reading, publishing and copyright.

It was introduced in the UK in 1998 under then-Prime Minister Tony Blair as a way to improve literacy standards. Since then, it has become a staple in schools across the country, including here in the island.

Media Isle of Man invited readers to send in their best World Book Day photos, and the response was overwhelming, with hundreds of pictures flooding in. Whittling them down was no easy task!

It certainly wasn’t just the children dressing up either, with some fantastic outfits from the teachers too.

Among the many fantastic costumes spotted today were Simba the Lion, Alice in Wonderland, The Manx weather, and even some spooky Wimpy Kid and Demon Dentist outfits.

According to the World Book Day charity, reading for pleasure is the biggest indicator of a child's future success—more than their parents' income, educational background, or family circumstances.

The founder of World Book Day in the UK, Baroness Gail Rebuck, said: ‘We wanted to do something to reposition reading and our message is the same today as it was then, that reading is fun, relevant, accessible, exciting and has the power to transform lives.’