Benji Bryon is going to this year's Book Week in his homemade astronaut costume

Mum Ashley Bryon was one of the lucky ones: her son Benji, 5, only wanted one thing - to be an astronaut.

"Because I love astronauts," was the simple explanation for his Book Week get up.

Mrs Bryon is an early childhood educator, so she's well-prepared when Book Week comes around.

IN OTHER NEWS:

"This is the first year Benji has really wanted to dress up, so we went looking for an astronaut costume and couldn't find one. Hence the homemade one," she said.

With the help of Pinterest and husband Wayne, and a little bit of help from Benji, a NASA-worthy jet pack was made.

"Kids embrace it, they love to dress up," Mrs Bryon said.

Shops across the city have been flat out as families prepare for one of the biggest weeks of the school year.

Kmart Wagga's costume section has been "completely gutted" this weekend, selling out of their whole range.

While Bargain Buys assistant manager Joy Huggins said they've sold double the amount of costumes they did last year.

"Busy, really busy, you can feel it, there's excitement in the air about it all," she said.

"In past years some schools alternated their years, but I think they're pretty well all doing it this year because they haven't had the opportunity in the last couple of years to throw themselves into it because of COVID."

Spotlight Wagga manager Tammy Louttit said her store has been "absolutely smashed" all weekend and a new costume has jumped to the number one spot this year, with the Jurassic World costume taking the crown from Harry Potter.

Ms Louttit said parents are opting for the ready made costume more than ever this year.

"People don't have a lot of time to be making these days, the ready made option is more the go this," she said.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: