It’s World Book Day 2020 from the charity on a mission to give every child and young person a book of their own. It’s also a celebration of authors, illustrators, books and (most importantly) it’s a celebration of reading. In fact, it’s the biggest celebration of its kind, designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and marked in over 100 countries all over the world.
Research found that children who participate in World Book Day activities are more engaged in reading and books than those who don’t.
- Nearly 3 in 5 felt that they read more books
- Nearly half say they buy more books
- Over 2 in 5 borrow and share more books
- A third also read more with their parents due to taking part in World Book Day, with half of those believing they subsequently read more independently (The National Literacy Trust’s Annual Literacy Survey, 2019)
- 1 in 4 pupils (25.2%) say that the book they ‘bought’ with their 2016 World Book Day book token was their first book of their own.
- Amongst children receiving free school meals, this number increased to 3 in 10 (32.9%; National Literacy Trust, 2017)
- Lower income families are likely to discover books through World Book Day (Nielsen, 2018)