World Book Day celebrates its 25th birthday tomorrow (3 March), and everyone is invited to join the party. The charity’s biggest campaign to date will focus on helping children discover a love for reading through a huge range of fun reading activities. Kids will also be given more opportunities than ever to exchange their token and choose a €1.50 book for free.
World Book Day 2022 Highlights Fantastic Irish Titles
This year’s Irish Reads
Irish language title Clussa Capaill ar an Rí by Bridget Breathnach, illustrated by Shona Shirley Macdonald, will be available to Irish audiences. The book was the 2021 winner of Foras na Gaeilge’s Gradam Réics Carló award (Book of the Year for Young Readers), and the special World Book Day edition can be exchanged for a €1.50 token.
It will be joining Deadly! Irish History: Fun with the Celts and the Vikings! by John Farrelly, along with 12 other titles from Sharna Jackson, Michael Morpurgo and Matt Lucas amongst others. Click here for the full €1.50 book line-up.
Chief Executive of World Book Day, Cassie Chadderton said, “Our 25th anniversary is a moment to look ahead to our ambitions for the future, and we are delighted to be partnering with Foras na Gaeilge to bring an Irish language book to children on World Book Day next year.
The announcement of the €1.50 books and the authors and illustrators involved is always the exciting first step towards World Book Day in March. This important addition will mean we can do more to encourage all children across Ireland to love reading and books on World Book Day 2022.”
Reading at Home
With the core message of ‘You Are A Reader’, World Book Day has a particular focus on reaching children from disadvantaged backgrounds. The charity’s 2022 campaign will aim to encourage parents and carers to support reading at home, helping them to feel more confident in reading together for a few minutes every day.
The 2022 €1.50 books, authors and illustrators reflect the energy and diversity of children’s literature in the UK and Ireland today. In its 25th year, World Book Day will highlight the importance of all children having the opportunity to own and be inspired by inclusive stories, written by authors and illustrators who are representative of the society we live in.
To celebrate the past, present and future of children’s literature, World Book Day will partner with BookTrust and Waterstones Children’s Laureate Cressida Cowell MBE on a special edition of their #PassthePen campaign. Designed to help promote visibility, champion new voices and generate book sales, this year’s activity will see World Book Day legacy authors paired with up-and-coming writers and illustrators of colour.
What’s On
An extensive 25th anniversary programme of activity will take place with authors, illustrators, publishers, retailers and partners taking part, including:
- A number of high profile digital author and influencer readings
- Legacy author events and content
- In-store experiences in bookshops across the UK and Ireland where children can explore the world of reading
- Activity across a wide range of partnerships including McDonald’s, Beano, Twitter and more
- A 25th birthday celebration look and feel for the logo, brand, website and assets
The event aims to inspire more children and families to read for pleasure through a love of books and shared reading, there is a renewed focus on those from disadvantaged and low-income backgrounds.
World Book Day plays an essential role in getting books into the hands of children in the UK and Ireland, with the aim of kick-starting and nurturing the game-changing, life-long habit of reading.