WHEN can you find Mary Poppins, the Gruffalo, Little Red Riding Hood and the Stick Man in primary schools at the same time? World Book Day of course!

Last Thursday, children up and down the country ditched their usual school uniform in favour of dressing up as characters from their favourite books and holding book swaps.

Characters ranged from the Cat in the Hat to the Queen of Hearts and many, many others in between. Everyone had a great time celebrating books and even the teachers joined in!

World Book Day was designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and is marked in over 100 countries around the globe.

One of the aims is to encourage children to explore the pleasures of reading by providing them with a book of their own. Each child was presented with a token to exchange for a book.Pictures: Dawn Bewes