Happy World Book Day everyone!
World Book Day’s mission is to promote reading for fun, offering every child and young person the opportunity to have a book of their own. This year, they have teamed up with Children’s Books Ireland, Foras na Gaeilge and An Post in a joint effort to give every child access to brilliant stories.
To mark the day, live school events with the Irish World Book Day authors and illustrators will be taking place in Windmill Lane, Dublin 2, with thousands of students tuning in nationwide via a livestream thanks to the support of Creative Ireland, Dublin City Council and Windmill Lane Studios.
Click here to see more events on the day!
Thanks to support from National Council for the Blind Ireland, all Irish World Book Day €1.50/£1 titles are now available in Braille, audio and digital formats, ensuring that children with vision impairments and reading difficulties can join the celebrations along with their peers.
As we get closer to the big day, World Book Day have heaps of resources to help you celebrate books and reading, at home and in the classroom. Check out free videos, colouring sheets, lesson plans and more at the link below!
Audiobooks are a brilliant way of enjoying stories, whether you're reading together with the family, or listening in your own time. Find your next audiobook to tune into on the World Book Day 'World of Stories’ platform, and for younger readers, check out Share A Story Corner for video books and activities to enjoy with your little one.
Now here's a quick look at some of the brilliant books you can get your hands on this World Book Day, for €1.50/£1 or in exchange for your World Book Day token!
Irish World Book Day titles
Hazel Tree Farm: One Stormy Night
Written by Alma Jordan, illustrated by Margaret Anne Suggs
The O'Brien Press
It’s the beginning of a new year on Hazel Tree Farm, and with it comes a burst of new life.
Peter helps Dad to bring baby lambs into the world, while his sister Kate falls in love with next door’s fluffy chicks – and one in particular! But something is wrong with sheepdog Peg, and one stormy night, she runs away. Through wind and rain, the children race to find her before it’s too late.
Rita agus an Dragún
Scríofa ag Máire Zepf, maisithe ag Mr Ando
An tSnáthaid Mhór
Is cailín beag í Rita a bhfuil smaointe móra aici. Nuair a éiríonn sí crosta, samhlaíonn sí go bhfuil dragún fíochmhar feargach aici a chuirfeadh an domhan ar crith. Ach is féidir tine the na feirge a cheansú, agus tá a fhios ag Rita cén dóigh lena dhéanamh. Rita is a little girl with big ideas. When she becomes cross, she imagines she has a ferocious angry dragon who would make the world shudder. But the hot fire of anger can be tamed, and Rita knows how.
For beginners
Bedtime for the Burpee Bears
Written by Joe Wicks and illustrated by Paul Howard
HarperCollins Children's Books
The Burpee Bears love to have fun – and that includes bedtime! From trying to brush their teeth without squirting toothpaste everywhere to putting on their pyjamas the right way round, there’s certainly a lot keep everyone busy. But the best part of all is settling down together for quiet time before they finally close their eyes.
Billy’s Bravery
Written and illustrated by Tom Percival
Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Billy absolutely LOVES Nature Girl. She’s his favourite superhero EVER! So when World Book Day comes round, Billy knows exactly who he wants to dress up as. Then Billy hears a nasty voice in his head. What if he looks silly? Can Billy be as brave as Nature Girl? A reassuring and uplifting book about finding your courage – the perfect springboard for talking about anxiety with little ones.
Lifesize Creepy Crawlies
Written and illustrated by Sophy Henn
Red Shed, Farshore
Grasshoppers, goliath beetles, bumblebees and bullet ants – creepy crawlies are amazing, and they are also everywhere! Together with author and illustrator Sophie Henn, come on an adventure to discover how YOU measure up against some of the world’s most incredible lifesize creepy crawlies, from the teeny tiny to the absolutely gigantic.
You Choose Your Adventure
Written by Pippa Goodhart, illustrated by Nick Sharratt
Puffin Books (Penguin Random House Children’s)
Welcome to your 'You Choose’ World Book Day adventure! What will you wear? Where will you go? Who would you like to meet on the way? Go on … you choose!
Let your imagination run wild and discover a different story every time with this magical storytelling toolkit.
Dave Pigeon: Bookshop Mayhem
Written by Swapna Haddow, illustrated by Sheena Dempsey
Faber Children’s Books
Dave Pigeon and his trusty sidekick, Skipper, are on the hunt for biscuits, as usual. Biscuits and good stories. Where better to go than a bookshop? Surely there’ll be a healthy supply of both … This is a laugh-out-loud story featuring a much-loved character, promoting a love of bookshops (and their Human Booksellers) and encouraging children to get reading.
Marvel Spider-Man: The Amazing Pocket Guide
By Catherine Saunders
DK
Become an expert on all things Spider-Man with this bitesize pocket guide! Discover everything you ever needed to know about Spider-Man and the Spider-Verse! Is Spider-Man speedier than Spider-Ham? Who has more fighting skill, Venom or Vulture? Pick up this Pocket Guide and you’ll have all of these Spidey facts and more at your fingertips.
For fluent readers
The Boy with Wings: Attack of the Rampaging Robot
Written by Lenny Henry, illustrated by Keenon Ferrell
Macmillan Children’s Books
Tunde Wilkinson is an ordinary kid. He has awesome friends, sometimes embarrassing parents and needs to be careful his wings don’t get in the way on the football pitch. Oh yeah, Tunde is also a secret superhero. When a new kid starts at his school and is better than him at everything, not even Tunde’s friends seem on his side. Does this new kid have a connection to the shady Facility? And can Tunde figure it all out before an evil robot destroys their town?
A Dragon Realm Adventure
By Katie & Kevin Tsang
Simon & Schuster Children’s Books
Twelve-year-old Billy Chan and his friends each share a bond with a dragon. When new dragons fall from the sky into the Human Realm, the group join forces to reunite them with their lost egg. But the Dragon Realm is filled with dangerous golden elixir, magical creatures and threats lurking round every corner. Can our heroes accomplish their mission, or will they fall at the last hurdle?
The Strangeworlds Travel Agency: Adventure in the Floating Mountains
By L.D. Lapinski
Hachette Children’s Group
It is the once-every-century Cloud-Wish Festival in the magical world of Strofadia, and Flick and Jonathan have travelled there from the Strangeworlds Travel Agency via suitcase to be a part of it. At the end of the festival, the Cloud Dragon will appear to grant the wishes from
the people of Strofadia. But when the moons rise at the end of the festival, there is no sign of the Cloud Dragon. Can Flick and Jonathan save the festival from disaster?
Kay’s Brilliant Brains
Written by Adam Kay, illustrated by Henry Paker
Puffin (Penguin Random House Children’s)
One hundred billion people have lived on earth. Unfortunately, this book would be too heavy if it talked about them all, so it’s only about ten of them. Containing 4,523,825 facts (this is a guess), this is a hilarious celebration of ten of the world’s most ingenious geniuses and all that their brilliant brains achieved.
About World Book Day
World Book Day changes lives through a love of books and 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.
