Every year, thousands of children across the UK attend school dressed as their favourite book character in honour of World Book Day. If you live near a school you may well see all manner of costumes trooping down the road, from wizards to superheroes, doctors to dragons and even ladybirds.
But is it simply another ‘non-uniform day’? What is the significance of World Book Day and why is it seen as a sacred date by so many teachers and parents?
Demonstrating the significance of the celebration, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) designated World Book Day as a worldwide celebration in 1995. More than 100 countries all over the world mark the day with events and fundraising activities.
In this digital age, why is World Book Day enjoying such popularity? The answer to this must be the power of the written word to stoke the imagination, enrich the soul, inspire generations, share information, and transport the mind.
Through reading we learn about others, we learn to empathise, we are taught about new places, new concepts, new ways of thinking and we discover new things about ourselves… all from the comfort of our own seat, wherever that may be.
As Roald Dahl observes: ‘[Matilda] travelled all over the world while sitting in her little room in an English village.”
Here at The Downs Malvern, our World Book Day celebrations involve the whole school. Children, and staff are invited to dress as characters from their favourite books, we take part in the BIG READ, support the Malvern Book Cooperative’s outreach project through a pop-up Book Store, have fun literature-based activities take place in many of our lessons, and we host a book quiz over lunch. It is always welcomed with great excitement by our pupils, and they always take great care choosing which character they want to portray. Our sister senior school, Malvern College, even has authors coming in to speak to the pupils.
So, what are the top four reasons why World Book Day is important?
Reason 1: Celebrating our heroes can be life-changing
Across history, children and young people have always had role models. Sometimes these are sporting heroes, characters from the silver screen or even family members. World Book Day is about bringing our literary heroes to life and celebrating their talents and beliefs.
It could be argued that having positive role models from literature has never been more important. Despite many parents’ attempts to keep them away from it, young people these days are surrounded by social media and while there are many positive stories, there are also many negative viewpoints and ‘objectionable’ characters out there. World Book Day gives children a chance to look beyond the negativity and toxicity of social media and celebrate all that is good and inspiring in the world instead.
According to the National Literacy Trust, ‘role models are an important influence in children and young people’s lives.’
Author of ‘Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History’, Vashti Harrison, coined it perfectly when she said: “To be able to see yourself in someone else’s story can be life-changing. To know a goal is achievable can be empowering.” Matilda experienced this herself: “These books gave Matilda a hopeful and comforting message: You are not alone.”
Head of English at The Downs Malvern, Kate Reid, commented: “At The Downs, we always have a wide variety of characters appearing in our halls on World Book Day. We have super innovative pupils and staff here, so it is always exciting to see which characters will be brought to life!”
Reason 2: Reading is the key
When it comes to learning, reading really is the key that unlocks the door to a wealth of knowledge.
Without a proficiency in reading, children struggle to access the rest of the curriculum. Reading encourages critical and analytical thinking, boosts children’s confidence, improves focus and concentration, and helps to stimulate and develop the brain.
Alongside these undoubtedly vital academic skills, reading also helps children to access their sense of self. When we are engaged in a book we become emotionally invested in the characters and their journey. We develop feelings of anger, delight, sorrow, yearning, betrayal and hope and we start to understand other people’s desires and motivations. While many children’s books are immersed in magical worlds and settings, the feelings are true. How many of us were gripped by Harry Potter’s path of discovery? How many of us appalled by Miss Trunchbull’s unjust treatment of her students? How many of us had our eyes opened by Malorie Blackman’s world of ‘Noughts and Crosses’?
These worlds are not real, but the feelings created by them certainly are. Reading is the key to accessing these feelings and World Book Day is a stepping stone in this journey.
Kate Reid at The Downs is fully invested in this concept: “World Book Day helps us to celebrate that books are for everyone. Books don’t have to cost anything, and they can be shared or read independently. For children, books are so much more than words on paper. Books can teach, entertain, empathise, inform, help you to escape, transport you to another realm and can be a friend.”
Reason 3: Reading has untold benefits for our mental health
As we have covered, reading has incredible benefits for a young person’s developing mind. But it can also have a huge impact on our happiness, our emotional intelligence, and our mental health.
It has long been understood that social media and electronic devices are having a negative effect on our brains, and they are also creating a lot of pressure in our lives as well. World Book Day is a celebration that is completely separate to this digital age, and it helps children to associate positivity and fun with reading.
Aside from this, if we develop a love of reading when we are small then this attitude is more likely to persist throughout our lives. Reading has been proven to reduce stress levels, enhance the health of our brains, improve our sleep, lower the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia, and help to combat feelings of anxiety and depression.
If World Book Day can help to give us all these benefits, then what is not to love?
Reason 4: The long-term impact of WBD is indisputable
Here are some of the long-term impacts from World Book Day:
- Reading for pleasure: From their survey of parents in 2022, the organisers of World Book Day in the UK found that as a result of the celebration:
- 42% of children make more time to read
- 49% of children feel they have more choice in what they read
- 50% of children find reading more fun
- 48% of children talk more about or recommend books
- Book ownership: There is a huge charitable part of World Book Day. As part of the events in 2022, 50 million £1 book tokens were distributed throughout the UK. For some children, these tokens provide them with an opportunity to buy their first ever book. In 2022, it was found that the 1 in 5 of the children who used their token has never previously owned a book.
- Charitable giving: World Book Day can help young people think about others and about giving back to different communities. The money raised by schools for World Book Day goes towards many causes, such as Book Aid InternationalandReadathon.
Kate from The Downs leaves us with her thoughts: “My favourite World Book Day was four years ago when we entered the World Book Day Display competition. The whole school got involved to construct a sculpture of origami butterflies made from pages of books, spreading their stories out into the world. We came second in the National competition! Reading is embedded into our curriculum at The Downs, through our Reading Tree programme, daily reading sessions and drama classes. World Book Day is a perfect opportunity to remind children of the importance of reading and it really helps to spark their enthusiasm and get them excited to pick up a new book. Stories offer a child so much and play a vital role in their growth and development. As JK Rowling said: ‘if you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book’. World Book Day can be a huge catalyst for a child finding their ‘right book’.”
