World Book Day Comes to Living Rooms, Schools and Libraries – For Everyone To Celebrate Books And Shared Reading
World Book Day 2021
Programme announcement
A programme of digital events featuring children’s favourites, fun online learning opportunities, and a celebrity-backed mass participation campaign – World Book Day invites everyone to join the biggest celebration of books and shared reading, whatever the circumstances on 4 March.
Covid-19 has contributed to widening the economic and educational gap and made it more difficult for many children to access books; 400,000 children and young people in the UK don’t have a book of their own1. As a charity, World Book Day is at the forefront of tackling this book poverty – by offering every child and young person the opportunity to have a book of their own.
Cassie Chadderton, CEO, today said that World Book Day 2021 – designed around even more accessibility and inclusivity – meant bringing “a moment of joy and hope to children and families in these difficult times”. Many agencies are reporting the effect of lockdown on children’s health and wellbeing, particularly those from lower socioeconomic groups.
The charity stresses that the wide-ranging consequences of Covid-19 have further increased the need to promote reading for pleasure as the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success. World Book Day’s new initiatives include:
• A fully digital, free Share a Story Live events programme, featuring children’s favourites including Humza Arshad, Alex Bellos, Sita Brahmachari, Joseph Coelho, Jonny Duddle, Tom Fletcher, Jess French, Fiona Lumbers, Ben Lyttleton, Zanib Mian, Lydia Monks and Katherine Rundell, with motivational speaker Kenny Baraka, TV presenter Nigel Clarke and actress, comedian and writer Jessie Cave as hosts (3-5 March)
• The Authors and Illustrators Academy – a suite of fun and fascinating tutorial videos from World Book Day £1 Book authors and illustrators (from 1 February)
• A Show your Shares mass online participation campaign, which will see World Book Day champions, authors and children and families post photos of themselves sharing a story together on social media channels (from 1 March)
• A suite of online toolkits including activity sheets and discussion guides for teachers, parents and carers
• A programme of ‘Share a Story’ YouTube readings, featuring World Book Day authors, champions, and influencers (from 1 March)
These come in addition to two previously announced digital initiatives: the World Book Day Book Club for 5+ and 9+ audiences, and Share a Story Corner for early readers.
World Book Day CEO Cassie Chadderton said: “World Book Day tackles book poverty and brings the joy of books and shared reading to children and families. Social inequalities – economic and educational – have become more exposed this year, and World Book Day is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate reading for pleasure, an activity that makes a huge and positive difference to our children’s futures. After all children have experienced this year World Book Day’s mission is more relevant than it has ever been.”
World Book Day has again assembled a coalition of high-profile partners to support its message and reach more children and families. These include McDonald’s, Royal Mail and the Beano – with many more still to be announced.
A line-up of influential ambassadors and champions will boost the campaign, with names to be released next month.
The charity is also working closely with its partners in bookselling and publishing, its sponsor, National Book Tokens, in schools and nurseries, libraries, prisons and with other charities to make World Book Day a powerful and positive event this year.
To give children more options for receiving their £1 book, this year children and families can redeem their £1 token when they collect essential shopping OR hold on to it to use later.
World Book Day has introduced a single-use digital token, giving schools a lockdown-friendly option to distribute tokens to families. World Book Day’s £1 books can be found in major supermarkets as well as bookshop chains, and bookshops are offering new ways to make the £1 books available, even in lockdown. The charity is working closely with booksellers on creative ways to get books to children across the country. Booksellers will honour the tokens beyond 28 March (while stocks last) and many are planning to welcome families to World Book Day events later in spring.
Find out more, and join the conversation, via:
worldbookday.com | @WorldBookDayUK | #WorldBookDay
2021 World Book £1 Books
PICTURE BOOKS
What the Ladybird Heard Play Book by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Lydia Monks (Macmillan)
There’s a Wolf in Your Book! by Tom Fletcher, illustrated by Greg Abbott (Puffin Books)
Luna Loves World Book Day by Joseph Coelho, illustrated by Fiona Lumbers (Andersen Press)
5-8 YEARS
Gigantosaurus Dino-Spot by Jonny Duddle (Bonnier Books UK)
Planet Omar: Operation Kind by Zanib Mian, illustrated by Nasaya Mafaridik (Hachette)
Protect the Planet by Jess French, illustrated by Aleesha Nandhra (DK)
9-12 YEARS
The River Whale by Sita Brahmachari (Hachette)
Skysteppers by Katherine Rundell (Bloomsbury)
Little Badman and the Radioactive Samosa by Humza Arshad and Henry White, illustrated by Aleksei Bitskoff (Puffin Books)
Football School: 20 Fantastic Football Stories by Alexander Bellos and Ben Lyttleton (Walker)
Skulduggery Pleasant: Apocalypse Kings by Derek Landy (HarperCollins)
TEEN
Kill Joy by Holly Jackson (Egmont)
IRISH TITLE
Lily and the Lissadell Ghost by Judi Curtin (The O’Brien Press)- Ireland only
WELSH TITLE
Ha Ha Cnec by Huw Aaron (Llyfrau Broga)- Wales only
Notes to Editors
The Share A Story Live programme – core digital events
All Share A Story Live events will premier on the World Book Day YouTube channel and remain available from the World Book Day website afterwards. Each event runs between 25-20 minutes.
Books that make us LOL (6yrs +)
3 March 2021 – World Book Day Eve – 10.30am
Starring authors: Jonny Duddle, Zanib Mian, Humza Arshad, as well as Football School authors Alex Bellos and Ben Lyttleton.
Hosted by: Kenny Baraka
Find out how to be a Little Bad Man with Humza Arshad, draw a Gigantosaur with Jonny Duddle, and write brilliant characters with Zanib Mian, and expect keepie uppie fun from Football School authors Alex Bellos and Ben Lyttleton. There will be a storytime break and all authors will answer readers’ questions.
Words and pictures – bringing reading to life (4yrs +)
4 March 2021 – World Book Day – 10.30am
Starring authors: Lydia Monks, Tom Fletcher, Joseph Coelho, and Fiona Lumbers
Hosted by: Nigel Clarke
Children will meet Luna with Joseph Coelho and Fiona Lumbers, learn how to draw a ladybird with Lydia Monks, and take part in a singalong with Tom Fletcher as he explores the power of interactive reading. Expect a storytime break and a drawing session with World Book Day illustrator Rob Biddulph, and all authors will answer readers’ questions.
How reading helps us understand the real world (9yrs +)
5 March 2021 – 10.30am
Starring authors: Jess French, Sita Brahmachari, Katherine Rundell
Hosted by: Jessie Cave
Katherine Rundell will encourage us to chase our hopes and dreams, Jess French has advice on how to save the planet, and Sita Brahmachari will lead a writing workshop. There will be a storytime break and all authors will answer readers’ questions.
About World Book Day:
World Book Day changes lives through a love of books and shared reading. Our mission is to promote reading for pleasure, offering every child and young person the opportunity to have a book of their own. Reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success – more than their family circumstances, their parents’ educational background or their income. We want to see more children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, with a life-long habit of reading for pleasure and the improved life chances this brings them. Designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, World Book Day is marked in over 100 countries around the globe. worldbookday.com
About National Book Tokens:
National Book Tokens are the perfect gift for book lovers everywhere and are the only gift cards sold and accepted in bookshops across the UK and Ireland, including all the major chains and local independents. As proud sponsors of World Book Day, National Book Tokens supports lifelong learning and improving literacy and access to reading for everyone. nationalbooktokens.com
