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Aug 16, 2023

8 Reasons to Celebrate World Book Day

advantages of celebrating world book day

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… No, we’re not talking about Christmas; we’re talking about World Book Day!

When is World Book Day 2021?

World Book Day falls on the first Thursday of every March, so this year it’ll be on Thursday the 4th of March. 

What is World Book Day?

World Book Day is a worldwide celebration of authors, illustrators, books and reading. Every year, children dress up as their favourite characters from their most treasured books – filling the streets with Charlie Buckets, Very Hungry Caterpillars and Gruffalos.

What’s the Purpose of World Book Day?

The purpose of World Book Day is to provide every child with a book of their own, which the charity does by supplying children with book tokens. Children can then pick a book from a selection of authors, which they get to keep.

What’s the Theme for 2021?

benefits of celebrating world book day

World Book Day has a theme every year; which usually revolves around children dressing up as their favourite book characters.

However, this year will be a little different due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Kids are being encouraged to share their stories with each other, and prizes are on offer for the best.

Company bosses are also being encouraged to send parents home early to share stories with their children.

Reading can be an escape in these tough times, and with fewer children reading than ever, World Book Day is significant.

But this isn’t the only reason why everyone should celebrate World Book Day. Here are eight more:

1. World Book Day Has UNESCO Status

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) designated World Book Day a worldwide celebration in 1995.

More than 100 countries all over the world, now mark the day with fun activities and fundraising efforts. By celebrating World Book Day, you are taking part in a global phenomenon that unites the globe.

The United Kingdom’s local manifestation of World Book Day began in 1998, offering children a pound token to buy a book. The campaign is a huge success, with book sales from WBD growing year-on-year. Most other countries hold their celebrations in April.

2. World Book Day Encourages Children to Read

why celebrate world book day

With so many different book characters filling school corridors, your youngsters are bound to ask their friends who they are dressed as and, in turn, want to find out more. 

They could discover a book they may otherwise have never picked up, especially when World Book Day organisers also send 15 million book tokens to schools.

Children can use the voucher to pick up one of ten free books or get £1 off any book costing more than £2.99. What better excuse to head down to your local bookshop and help them pick out a new read?

‘Reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success – more so than their family circumstances or their parents’ educational background and income.’

World Book Day.

3. World Book Day is Fun

Dressing up is fun, but World Book Day is the perfect opportunity to try even more activities. As well as sending out book tokens, the organisation also sends resource packs full of fun ideas to schools. 

Plus, there are countless resources available on the World Book Day website (including this list of 20 bright ideas), so you’re bound to find something you can all get involved with.

4. World Book Day Brings Families Together

world book day

Whether you’re all sitting down together to whip up a BFG outfit, or snuggling up to read a brand new book, World Book Day offers countless opportunities for quality family time.

Why not devise some fun activities for when the kids get home from school? Create a family dinner based on dishes from their favourite books, and enlist them to cook-along. Or encourage them to write a story.

5. World Book Day Supports Charities

The money raised by schools for World Book Day goes towards some worthy causes. One of these is Book Aid International, a charity that sends half a million books to community, public, school and academic libraries in 12 countries of sub-Saharan Africa. 

Another is Readathon, a UK-wide sponsored reading event that raises money to help seriously ill children.

6. Children Can Dress As Their Heroes

celebrating world book day

Did you have a hero from a book you used to read as a child? We bet you would have loved to dress up as them for a day!

Children get plenty of their heroes from films these days – such as Disney princesses and cartoon characters. World Book Day teaches kids that heroes don’t just appear on the silver screen. They can find them nestled in a great book, too.

7. Reading Makes You Smarter

There are plenty of benefits of reading, and one of them is making you smarter. And who doesn’t want to be smarter? Reading provides a workout for our brains, a bit like physical activity for our bodies. 

Reading also increases vocabulary, helps us to understand different ideas and theories, increases knowledge and keeps our memory sharp. By encouraging kids to get involved in World Book Day, you’ll be helping them get smarter.

8. Reading Helps Our Mental Health

world book day celebration

Mental health issues are losing their taboo status, and we’re talking about our problems more. However, social media and electronic devices are adding a lot of pressure to our lives (especially young, impressionable people), we’re increasingly busy and uncertain economic times have left families feeling the pressure.

Many people don’t realise the health benefits of books, and engaging in World Book Day can help attach positive feelings towards reading.

Reading can reduce stress levels, preserves brain health and lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia, helps your sleep and relieves symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Let’s Celebrate World Book Day!

The team at We Buy Books wishes you and your family a fantastic World Book Day. If you need to make room for new books, sell your books for cash with We Buy Books.

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