I was browsing social media, when I really could have been reading a book, and noticed a popular influencer had written quite disparagingly about World Book Day. While I understand why some don’t approve of how World Book Day is sometimes celebrated, putting dressing up at the forefront of the day, it seems like we are missing a golden opportunity if we dismiss it out of hand.
World Book Day, on the 2nd of March this year, is an initiative to get more children to love reading, and to develop a life-long habit of reading for pleasure. It is about helping to make reading fun, engaging, and inspiring and about encouraging us to make time for reading. It is also about helping children to choose the kind of book they would like to read, and to understand that reading can encompass fiction, non-fiction, cartoons, graphic novels and so on. As well as giving every child a book token that they can exchange for a book, the World Book Day campaign and activities are designed for success in encouraging children to read.
World Book Day’s work is evidence-based and draws on six elements which support a child to read for pleasure. These are:
- Being able to read regularly
- Access to books at home
- The ability for children to choose what they want to read
- Having trusted adults and peers sharing and recommending books
- The reading experience being enjoyable
- Designated time to read
Yet despite all this, the big topic of conversation each year seems to be dressing up! And while some children and families thrive on the drama of it all, for others it is a distraction. So how can we harness all the immense positives about the day, including the dressing up if that is what your school likes to do, without slipping into cliches about World Book Day being about expensive costumes?
The World Book Day website states that “Celebration activities like dressing up are a special part of World Book Day, but the most important activity is to help children to feel included, encouraged and supported to read for pleasure.”
Janet Goodall, Professor of Education at Swansea University, recently tweeted about this theme. She said, “I am quite convinced that buying a costume a. never helped anyone read and b. it's an expense families shouldn't need to support.”
Professor Goodall suggests that there are other more useful activities to consider. She said, “Ask students to make and share lists of books they've really enjoyed, and ask staff to post on their doors, whatever they are reading for pleasure. This shows young people adults still read, and might give others ideas for books! If there's a local library within easy reach, have information about how to sign up easily available - links on websites, forms in school, whatever is appropriate, and section off time for reading-for-pleasure in the school day for that week. You could also ask students to compose a letter to their favourite author - saying what they like about a book. Then use those ideas to find similar works... (and mail the letters!).”
Other ideas that may work for your setting include:
- Arrange for a local bookshop to visit with the World Book Day books so that children can spend their vouchers.
- Start a book club using the World Book Day resources (see below).
- If you are a primary school, consider doing the reading for pleasure audit (see below).
- Post book reviews all around the school, including in the staffroom.
- Read extracts of books to children as tasters of books they might want to read for pleasure.
- Help pupils to create a reading wish list. It might be possible to order any titles you don’t have for the school library.
- Offer the opportunity for children to write stories, with complete freedom! This is all about the narrative!
- Host an online session with a bookseller to talk to the children about the books they sell and recommend.
- Host an online session with a children’s author. There are some amazing authors and illustrators who are highly experienced at running online sessions.
- Read aloud to your class every day!
- Have a regular book swap day at school, and include parents and staff in that too.
- Play charades, where children act out their favourite book titles.
- Have a “try someone new” day where children pick a book by an author they haven’t read before. Encourage grownups to do the same!
There is so much potential good that can come from a focus on books on World Book Day, based on research and evidence about what works when it comes to helping children to read, that it seems paramount to include it in our calendar. Making the day work for our context is key, and if that means no dressing up, so be it, but dressing up is just a small element of this day for books. If we can have a day where we live and breathe the books we love, and discover new delights, there’s no need for cynicism and it certainly doesn’t need to cost us. But what we gain just might help more young people to thrive in their reading lives. And that’s what it’s all about!
Find out more…
- Exploring the Impact of World Book Day on Children's Reading - World Book Day
- Book Club - World Book Day
- Primary Schools Reading for Pleasure Audit - World Book Day
About the author
Elizabeth Holmes
After graduating with a degree in Politics and International Relations from the University of Reading, Elizabeth Holmes completed her PGCE at the Institute of Education, University of London. She then taught humanities and social sciences in schools in London, Oxfordshire and West Sussex, where she ran the history department in a challenging comprehensive. Elizabeth specialises in education but also writes on many other issues and themes. As well as her regular blogs for Eteach and FEjobs, her books have been published by a variety of publishers and translated around the world. Elizabeth has also taught on education courses in HE and presented at national and international conferences.
