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. These include:

Lesson plans, discussion guides and activity sheets.
Primary assembly pack.
Introductory author videos for each of the World Book Day titles.
Reading recommendations.
Access to free audio books.
Details of how to get involved with the World Book Day Book Club.

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:

The Books Council of Wales provides a range of resources to support schools in Wales.
Why not run a Readathon sponsored read as part of your World Book Day celebrations? Encourage reading for pleasure while raising money to provide books and storytelling events for seriously ill children in hospital. Free Readathon kits and downloadable resources available.
Check out Usborne’s World Book Day resources. There are book recommendations for all ages and accompanying author videos, lesson plans and activities.
Use these free Story Speculation resources from Manic Street Teachers to generate lots of book discussion and help develop inference and prediction skills.
Read this blog from HFL Education for tips and ideas that will help you promote a love of reading on World Book Day, and every day.
Get ideas on how to engage parents and the wider school community in Reading for Pleasure in this World Book Day webinar with partners CLPE, the National Literacy Trust and the OU.
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 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!
Support World Book Day’s aims by running a fundraising event in your school. Find out more here.