World Book Day was celebrated across Barking and Dagenham last Thursday, with many schools encouraging children to dress up as their favourite book character.

Barking and Dagenham Post: Asda Community Champion Robyn Parson, 22 reads to children at William Bellamy Primary school on World Book Day Photo:David MirzoeffAsda Community Champion Robyn Parson, 22 reads to children at William Bellamy Primary school on World Book Day Photo:David Mirzoeff (Image: Archant)

Pupils at Eastbury Primary School in Barking, received a visit from two authors.

Alex Keller, who wrote the Haywired series, ran creative writing workshops for gifted and talented pupils in years five and six while children in nursery and year one enjoyed storytelling with creative-writing expert Antony Lishak.

Assistant headteacher Joanna Hodges, who dressed up as the Mad Hatter, said: “We are trying to raise the profile of reading and getting children to love reading and understand the enjoyment that it brings, and I think that we have done that.”

She said children in her year four class had dressed up as characters from Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, which they have been reading together.

At William Bellamy Primary School in Dagenham, children in the five reception classes were visited by staff from the Asda in Chadwell Heath, who read them stories.

Children dressed up in different costumes depending on their age group.

Pupils in years five and six dressed as characters from Alice in Wonderland, years three and four dressed as characters from Peter Pan, years one and two dressed as characters from the Wizard of Oz and reception and nursery were characters from Mr Men.

The staff also got in on the action and dressed up as superheroes.

James Singh, the school’s events co-ordinator, said World Book Day helps pupils think of reading as being fun.

“It gets the children to dress up as their favourite characters and they are read books by adults which encourages them to read more themselves,” he said. “We also give them all a free book and they are excited about reading it.”