World Book Day

Many of you will be aware that the UK and Ireland World Book Day is rapidly approaching on March the 3rd! But do you know what it is about? This is what the official UK World Book Day site has to say:

World Book Day was designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and is marked in over 100 countries around the globe. The origins of the day we now celebrate in the UK and Ireland come from Catalonia, where roses and books were given as gifts to loved ones on St. George’s Day – a tradition started over 90 years ago. For international information about World Book Day, please click here.

World Book Day is a partnership of publishers, booksellers and interested parties who work together to promote books and reading for the personal enrichment and enjoyment of all.

A 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. 

The majority of UK school and nursery children will be sent home with a World Book Day voucher which they can use at any participating retailer. One of these is Usborne books and if you would like to see the special offers they are running for this year's book day have a look here.



But it's not just about enabling children to buy books cheaper there are also plenty of activities on the WBD web site that schools and home educators can use to encourage children to read. Anything that improves our children's literacy has got to be a good thing!