World Book Day is a celebration! It’s a celebration of authors, illustrators, books and (most importantly) it’s a celebration of reading. In fact, it’s the biggest celebration of its kind, designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and marked in over 100 countries all over the world.
This is the 18th year there’s been a World Book Day, and on 5th March 2015 children of all ages will come together to appreciate reading. Very loudly and very happily. The main aim of World Book Day in the UK and Ireland is to encourage children to explore the pleasures of books and reading by providing them with the opportunity to have a book of their own.
Material will be sent to schools (including those nurseries and secondary schools that have specially registered to participate), packs of Book Tokens and age-ranged World Book Day Resource Packs (age-ranged into Nursery/Pre-School, Primary and Secondary) full of ideas and activities, display material and more information about how to get involved in World Book Day.
Thanks to the generosity of National Book Tokens Ltd, publishers and booksellers, millions of book vouchers can be sent to children and young people (more than 14 million, in fact: that’s one for nearly every child aged under eighteen in the country).
They can take their voucher to a local bookseller and can use it to pick one of TEN (exclusive, new and completely free) books. Or, if they’d rather, they can use it to get £1 off any book or audio book costing over £2.99 at a participating bookshop or book club (terms and conditions apply).
It’s all about getting kids closer to the books and authors they already love, and letting them discover more books and authors they’ll love every bit as much in the future.
We can get involved as grandparents or just book lovers to pass on to the next generation the joy and excitement that can be got from books.
Do you remember the pleasure that you got from a book as a child? In our day there were no tablets or electronic book reading devices but there was never a shortage of reading material from comics to libraries and there was always one Auntie who gave you a book token for your birthday. I plan to encourage my grandchildren to read and have access to stories in whatever form and to read to them when I have the chance. A bedtime story is still a treat in my house and the pleasure of snuggling up with a book and a relaxed child is a cherished memory.
What were your favourite children’s books. Do you share them now? I loved all the Enid Blyton tales from Noddy to the Faraway Tree to the more grown up Mallory Towers and Famous Five adventures.
