WORLD Book Day 2021 is on March 4 – celebrating everything to do with books and reading.
The annual event, led by charity Unesco, is largely focused on children and is aimed to encourage their love of reading.
When is World Book Day?
This year, World Book Day falls on March 4.
This is the 24th year that the event has been held.
It comes around on the first Thursday of March every year, in the UK.
The day is also acknowledged globally in over 100 countries across the world.
Other countries celebrate World Book Day on William Shakespeare's birthday – April, 23.
What happens on the day and who takes part?
The day is a celebration of everything books – from the authors and illustrators to the children who read them.
Children of all ages come together to celebrate reading – having the chance to dress up as their favourite literary character on the day.
The aim of the event is to encourage more children to discover the pleasures of books and reading by providing them with the opportunity to have a book of their own.
The charity, along with National Book Tokens Ltd, offers a staggering 15 MILLION £1 book tokens to children nationally (one for nearly every child under the age of 18 in the country).
The need for the day is greater than ever with the National Literacy Trust stating that now only a quarter of children read daily in 2020 (26 per cent of the population) compared to 2015 (43 per cent).
What is the theme for 2021?
Due to the coronavirus pandemic things are rather different this year.
Books are once again being offered for just £1 – through book tokens – and can be used to buy one of the exclusive books on offer through the scheme or used to buy a full-price book or audiobook that costs £2.99 or more.
Kids are also being encouraged to share their stories with one another and prizes are on offer for the best.
A selection of free audiobooks are also on offer, which launches on February 18.
A Book Club is also being launched in March 2021.
Company bosses are also being encouraged to allow their staff to go home early on March 4 so they can share stories with the children in their lives.
How do book tokens work?
15 million book tokens will be sent around the country to young people.
In return, these tokens can be swapped for one of TEN, new and exclusive books (completely FREE), from their local bookseller.
Alternatively, 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).
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