World Book Day

From World Book Day

Resource type: Event

Price band: Free

Key stage: KS1, KS2, KS3

Region(s): All of UK

World Book Day is an annual celebration of books and reading that takes place on the first Thursday of March each year. World Book Day 2024 falls on Thursday 7th March.

The aim of World Book Day is to encourage all young people to read for pleasure. It does this by providing activities and resources to support the six key pillars on which a Reading for Pleasure habit is founded. These include:

  • Being read to regularly.
  • Having access to books at home and at school.
  • Enjoying the freedom to choose what books to read.
  • Having time to read.
  • Having access to a community of trusted adults and peers with whom to share and discuss books.
  • Experiencing reading as a fun and enjoyable activity.

At the heart of World Book Day are the £1 book tokens that allow children and young people to get a free book from a selection of exclusive World Book Day titles available through participating booksellers. The vouchers can also be put towards the full price of a book or audio book of their choice. Editions of all the World Book Day books in braille, large print and audio are also available.

Primary schools receive book tokens automatically, although they are encouraged to register and confirm the number of free book tokens that they require. Secondary schools, nurseries and playgroups must register by Friday 20th October 2023 on the World Book Day website to receive their free packs.

The World Book Day website offers access to a wide range of resources for primary and secondary schools that can be used to celebrate World Book Day and promote reading for pleasure all year round. These include:

Cost: Free.

About World Book Day: World Book Day is a charity supported by publishers and booksellers. Its mission is to change lives through a love of books and shared reading.

Further resources:

  • Add a sprinkle of author magic to your World Book Day celebrations with one of the online author events taking place during World Book Day week. Browse our roundup to find the event that’s right for you and your pupils.
  • Don’t miss the BBC World Book Day Live Lesson on Thursday 7th at 11.00. Presenters and authors will explore different genres to create a Live Lessons pop-up library where every book and every reader is welcome. Suitable for KS2 pupils. Accompanying resources will be available to download.
  • Introduce your pupils to a host of new authors and hear their top tips for reading with a series of ‘Five Questions With…’ videos, created by Authorfy in partnership with World Book Day. The videos are free to view and there is also an accompanying worksheet for pupils to answer for themselves.
  • Sign up for a Readathon sponsored read to encourage children to read while also raising money to provide books for children in hospital. Order your free Readathon pack by 7th March to attend a free author event with Joseph Coelho on Friday 8th March.
  • Encourage young readers to read more widely with the ‘Branching Out’ and ‘Book Match’ booklists and posters from Books for Topics and The Reading Teacher.
  • Help younger readers choose books that will match their reading interests and abilities with this fun animation from the National Literacy Trust.
  • Get involved with one of the many book award shadowing schemes to introduce young readers to new authors and keep the reading momentum going all through the year.
  • Challenge pupils aged 4-18 to create a picture book on a topic or theme of their choice for the ReadingZone Picture Book Competition. Entries for the three age categories (4-7, 7-11 and 11-18) can be submitted by individuals, groups or whole classes and the deadline is 19th April.
  • Use these free Story Speculation resources from Manic Street Teachers to generate lots of book discussion and help develop inference and prediction skills.
  • Check out Usborne’s World Book Day resources. There are book recommendations for all ages and accompanying author videos, lesson plans and activities.
  • Sign up for the new Overcoming Barriers to Reading for Pleasure webinar and vlog series created in partnership with the Reading for Pleasure team at the Open University for ideas on how to engage even more reluctant readers.
  • Catch up on last year’s CPD webinar with partners CLPE, the National Literacy Trust and the OU for ideas on how to engage parents and the wider school community in Reading for Pleasure.
  • Download CLPE’s free Home Learning resources for EYFS to UKS2 to help develop strong Reading Partnerships with parents and carers. The resources don’t require a copy of the relevant book and are designed to develop comprehension skills and provide a springboard for imaginative and creative responses to the extract.
  • Find out more about the latest research on developing a Reading for Pleasure culture in schools.
  • If you would like to include an in-person author visit as part of your plans for World Book Day, Authors Abroad, Authors Aloud and Speaking of Books are organisations that can help you find an author to suit your needs. Don’t forget that authors get very booked up at this time of year so get in touch early!

Visit the resource

worldbookday.com

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