World Book Day is a highlight on the book industry and schools calendar as children celebrate by dressing up as their favourite book character. This year we were happy to see a revamped and rebranded WBD with the message ’Share A Story’. With parents under pressure to buy outfits (and supermarkets filling their shelves with TV character costumes) the original meaning of WBD had become a little lost along the way. 

Research shows that spending just 10 minutes a day sharing stories with children can make a crucial difference to their outcome, so the WBD aim is to fill the day with stories from breakfast to bedtime. At CCB we’re passionate about how beneficial a love of reading can be for a young person. Our WBD activities always focus on reading stories from our Top Titles booklist.

The Top Titles List

The Top Titles is an ever-evolving children’s book list, with titles chosen because they’re enjoyable, inspiring and most of all immensely readable.  Our team brainstorm and debate over which books make the list for months before the WBD season begins!  Taking the books into schools all over Devon, we read passages to children and hold book fairs selling at a subsidised price to encourage children to continue reading them at home. This WBD we’ve read to over 3000 young people!

Dressing up as a book character is hugely popular and we’ve heard lots of children talk excitedly about their outfits. Last year we loved seeing many girls dressed up as historical or inspirational figures from books like Rebel Girls or Great Women Who Changed The World. If you have been tasked with dressing children we encourage you to use items you already have around the home! Keep it simple, and enjoy reading together.

World Book Day Book Vouchers

Each World Book Day, National Book Tokens, publishers, indie bookshops and schools join forces to distribute more than 15 million £1 World Book Day tokens. These can be exchanged for one of 12 specially commissioned titles from authors like Children’s Laureate Lauren Childs, Jeff Kinney, Malorie Blackman, Rick Riordan and Frank Cottrell-Boyce. Come and see us at the shop to see the full selection of books. Alternatively, these vouchers can be used to gain £1 off any full price book including the Top Titles list.

Thanks to Alan Quick at Crediton Courier for the photos.