World Book Day always allows Harrodians to indulge two enduring and ever-present school passions – reading books and dressing up to celebrate.
WBD is a spring institution at Harrodian and has been as long as most of us can remember. Upper Sixth Formers Angelica and Phoebe remember their first one in Pre-Prep with affection and were only too happy to recreate the 2013 photo for us a dozen or so years on! (below)
As usual, this year everyone from Pre-Prep up to the 11s – as well as the Staff – took the opportunity to dress up as their favourite book characters. See who you can spot in the cosmopolitan crowd shown in this article and in our gallery.
Among characters we spotted were: Delia Smith, Charlotte and her Web, Isadora Moon, Winnie the Pooh, Percy Jackson, the Mad Hatter and Alice in Wonderland, President Lincoln with William Wilberforce, Alex from A Clockwork Orange, Three Little Pigs and assorted Little Women. Not to mention a couple of very austere looking vicars and many more besides.
See more pictures in our World Book Day gallery
Pre-Prep enjoyed an amazing World Book Day assembly. Each class had the chance to go onstage to present themselves and the book that inspired their costume. Meanwhile, Mr Hooke and Head of Pre-Prep Mrs Walker reprised their roles as the dastardly Captain Hooke and Miss Trunchbull, with Mr Rodricks providing a cute cameo as Matilda. Mr Hooke popped up later in the day to read to Pre-Prep children, as did some of our parent helpers.
Other events and celebrations included:
- (All school) Generous donations of books to the Children's Book Project thanks to our amazing librarians.
- (All school) Ad hoc Drop Everything And Read (DEAR ) sessions
- (Prep) Drama role plays during which children hot seated their book characters and took questions from the other children in the audience
- (Lower Prep) World Book Day craft projects, crafted at home and brought to school and displayed in the Main Hall with prizes for winners: 8s pupils designed and created a room for their favourite book character, 9s made a series of clues to help others guess their book and the 10s designed and created sets for their favourite books (see photos of the winners below).
Roll on, World Book Day, 2026!