Beyond World Book Day

harnessing a buzz about reading in our schools - every day.

Photo by Eleonora Albasi on Unsplash

Thoughts and musings

I have always loved World Book Day. With the first celebration taking place in the UK in the late 90s, I have fond memories (as a pupil myself) of a day of events curated around a love of reading. The months of March and April (with April 23rd being recognised as the date celebrated internationally) have become associated, for many, with World Book Day events being pencilled into calendars. Over the years, I have rejoiced as a student and then a teacher, planning ideas for lessons, organising competitions and of course - dressing up.

Recognition of the decline in the number of pupils who are choosing to read for pleasure is certainly at the forefront of the minds of educators¹ and thoughts and ideas for engaging our young readers² continue to build. With 2026 being marked as the #NationalYearOfReading³ in the UK, elevation of collaborative efforts across sectors encourage children and young adults to #GoAllIn.

My thoughts and musings turn today, on historically one of my favourite days of the year, to longevity. To a commitment to harnessing the fun, the buzz and the excitement of World Book Day across the academic year. To making every day an opportunity to celebrate the joy and wonder of books, the incredible authors who write them - and the world of future opportunities which an enjoyment and engagement with reading can hold.

Ideas and practical suggestions

So, what might be helpful to consider beyond World Book Day, where transferable approaches and considerations can impact pupil and teacher perceptions across the academic year? Below are two suggestions which I hope can be actioned with minimal time spent preparing. Think of these more as a shift towards intentionality when creating authentic opportunities for school communities to celebrate the power (and joy) of reading.

1. Nurturing a love of reading - every day.

I use the word ‘nurture’ here deliberately. Much of the messaging from organisations including the Open University⁴ and the UKLA⁵ recognise the importance of teachers and adults as role models and key ‘recommenders’ of reading and texts. Yet with an abundance of books on offer, and varying experiences of children’s journeys developing their own reader identities (including their perceptions of their abilities as a reader), investing in the intentional time, consideration and evaluation of the reading experiences on offer in your school is incredibly important.

• So, which key areas of focus may be beneficial to focus on as you continue to ride the positive wave of World Book Day activities across the school year?

  • Curriculum. I have mentioned many times in previous ‘glimmers’, and I am a continual advocate for, the power which the curriculum holds for promoting joy and engagement for reading within pupils. If they appear physically deflated at seeing ‘Reading’ on the timetable then the idea of it being ‘pleasurable’ becomes something that is contained in a moment of time. Perhaps even just during a slot in the week. Do take a look at further ideas and suggestions around ‘curriculum and text curation’ in my previous post: ‘Reading for Pleasure - Part 1’.

  • Environments. Perhaps pockets of your school environments were transformed for the celebration of World Book Day? What if these magical reading nooks and messages of the joy and comfort which reading can bring were embedded in the day-to-day? Take a look at Hallsville Primary School’s incredible (yet achievable) efforts for some further ideas: ‘Embedding an authentic reading culture’.

  • Empathy. With research finding clear links between the development of empathy and reading skill (and engagement) our ability (and responsibility) to consider how texts can be used as a vehicle to promote empathetic thinking (and skill building) is incredibly important - and powerful. I have shared my full thoughts and suggestions in the following post, ‘Empathy and reading’, but I would also direct your attention to the EmpathyLab website to find out more about the EmpathyDay Festival (4th - 11th June) and the recently released ‘Read for Empathy Collection’ for 2026.

  • Equality. A year ago, I read this post ‘Turning the Page on Books and Inequality’ by Sean Harris. The considerations within it have stayed with me since. Sean shares highly practical ideas for ‘Rewriting the story’ alongside a case study from a school in Birmingham who serve a community facing significant socioeconomic disadvantage. An important read.

2. Embedding the highlights of World Book Day

Consider how you chose to celebrate with the children and wider school community today. Did the children come dressed as their favourite book character? Or perhaps in their pyjamas (reiterating the message that reading may serve as a comfort, a regulator of wellbeing)? Did your pupils bring a mystery item from a book which in turn invited exciting discussion around the text (or the author) which had inspired it? There will have been an abundance of creative ideas happening in schools today - my question is, what next?

• So, what were the highlights of your celebrations and how can you find a sustained or regular place for these in your day-to-day considerations?

  • The power of the recommendation. Much conversation around World Book Day revolves around animated guesswork as to which book character each child has chosen to dress-up as. Much of this can cause real excitement. Yet, beyond the creative outfits lies the power of converting this intrigue into an exploration of the book at hand. What form do recommendations of books take in your school? Perhaps through displays? Or maybe designated time for children to ‘book blether’? The OU’s RfP website has so many fantastic examples of these: book blether Archives - Reading for Pleasure

  • Nurturing that community feel. Often World Book Day can bring with it that special feeling associated with thematic days, where children across year groups, parents, carers, governors and staff are joined by a shared celebration. In terms of elevating positive messages around reading, considering how further events can be curated across the school year is worth exploring. Perhaps you have subsequent focused days or weeks linked to reading or writing. Family reading picnics is an idea which I have seen a number of schools arrange with great success. You may be lucky enough to have a book fair in your school, pairing this with Parent - Teacher Conferences can utilise the buzz around book buying with sharing and demonstrating to parents what reading means at your school.

  • Reading into writing. Consider how the events of your World Book Day could translate into shared writing experiences, across classes and year groups. The creativity involved in the day lends itself to subsequent imaginative exploration. Stories involving the book characters which were playing football together in the playground that day. The significant items which are easily recognisable in certain books making their way into a new narrative. Inviting the children to ‘dress up as a word’ was one of the most successful celebrations of vocabulary I have been part of. The sparks of engagement and intrigue this created along our corridors was incredible! Capturing these ambitious and playful words invited pupils to consider how they may be used in their own creative writing - as they continued their journeys to becoming their own authors! (And just in case you were wondering - my word of choice was ‘dishevelled’ and it really didn’t take much dressing up on my part at that point of the term!)

1. Children and young people's reading in 2025 | National Literacy Trust

2. Engaging reluctant readers

3. The National Year of Reading

4. Reading for Pleasure - Reading for Pleasure

5. Reading for Pleasure - UK Literacy Association