On the fourth of March, World Book Day returns for its 24th year of festivities in the UK.
Things will be a bit different again this year, but that shouldn’t stop families from sharing exciting and interesting books and taking part in interactive activities and fun!
What is World Book Day?
Just in case you’re unfamiliar, World Book Day is an annual event that was created by UNESCO on 23rd April 1995 as a worldwide celebration of books and reading. It is marked in over 100 countries around the globe.
The first World Book Day in the UK and Ireland took place in 1997 to encourage young people to discover the pleasure of reading.
Official World Book Day events
As with previous years, there will be various events happening on and around World Book Day, check out the dates below to see what’s happening:
- 3rd March 2021 – Books that make you lol
- 4th March 2021 – Words & Pictures: Bring Reading to Life
- 5th March 2021 – Books and The Real World
Each event will take place at 10:30 am on their respective days, and will last approximately 30 minutes. They also have a libraries tool kit with lots of ideas and resources for fun things to do at home.
What about my £1 book?
One of the most important aspects of World Book Day are the special books that you can get for just £1 using a special token.
This year, World Book Day is distributing over 15 million £1 tokens to children and young people, so there will be plenty of chances to get a hold of one.
Tokens are valid from 18 February to 28 March, but don’t worry, because of this year’s restrictions, participating retailers will honour your £1 token beyond the cut off date as long as stocks last.
Thousands of booksellers and supermarkets will be taking part in World Book Day. To find your nearest participating store in Kirklees, visit the Booksellers Association website.
The full list of £1 books can be found on the World Book Day website.
What is going on around Kirklees?
Booksplus Kirklees will host their yearly World Book Day Quiz. With safety in mind, this year’s quiz will be a virtual one, but you’ll still have a chance to win that all-important trophy!
Schools can enter teams of interested pupils into the quiz. This year’s quiz is taking place on 11 June 2021. For more information, you can visit Kirklees Business solutions here.
Kirklees Libraries are set to present a series of live Library Adventures for children aged 4 – 11 years old, with the aim to get children to reengage with reading at that vital age.
The events could be useful for children to watch with their families, for homeschooling ideas and teachers could use them too.
The next sessions include a talk with Onjali Q. Rauf on 2 March and a live session with Simon James Green and Helen Rutter on 9 March.
You can join on Kirklees Libraries YouTube channel, Facebook and Twitter live or watch them on catch up.
There is also the opportunity to send in your questions live via social media or email them in advance.
To keep up to date with their new adventures you can check out their events here.
Even More Events
As well as local events in Kirklees, many organisations are taking part in World Book Day, with most holding online sessions accessible all over the UK.
As Creatives, a group that specialises in delivering creative learning programmes. have published a series of online resources for everyone from reception up to year 6. You can check out the resources and see their samples on their website.
BBC teach has a wide collection of free educational resources for school children ranging from primary school to secondary school.
The National Literary Trust also compiles a useful list of resources for teachers that can be used both in school and in a home setting, featuring a multitude of activities, reading encouragement help, and even whole-school reading recommendations.