EACH year children and young people come together to celebrate World Book Day and the joy of reading.
But when is it and what happens on the day? Here's everything you need to know.
When is World Book Day?
This year, World Book Day falls on Thursday, March 2.
World Book Day was created by UNESCO on April 23, 1995.
The first celebration in the UK and Ireland took place in 1997 – encouraging young people to discover the pleasure of reading.
Each year the day is acknowledged globally in over 100 countries across the world.
Many 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 to do with books – from the authors and illustrators to the children who read them.
World Book Day founder, Baroness Gail Rebuck, recalls “We wanted to do something to reposition reading and our message is the same today as it was then – that reading is fun, relevant, accessible, exciting, and has the power to transform lives.”
Children of all ages come together to celebrate the joy of reading – having the chance to dress up according to the year's chosen literary theme.
The event aims 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 millions of £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 as this World Book Day, half a million children in England don’t own a single book.
What is the theme for 2023?
This year, the theme is “Your World Book Day”.
The charity chose this specific theme as they want celebrations to be inclusive and fun for all.
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.
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 is also on offer.
How do book tokens work?
World Book Day, in partnership with schools and others, distributes the tokens to children and young people.
In return, these tokens can be swapped for a World Book Day £1 book for free, or get £1 off a full price title, any full price book, or audiobook (as long as the book or audiobook costs at least £2.99).
Children can swap their £1 token for any of the World Book Day books at booksellers (including supermarkets) until Sunday, March 26, 2023.
You can find your nearest bookseller here.
Last year, World Book Day distributed more than 50 million book tokens across the UK and Ireland through schools, magazines, and partnerships.
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