Tag: World Book Day

Children with vision impairment will share the joy of World Book Day

THURSDAY 5th MARCH 2026

Children with vision impairment will be able to take part in this year’s World Book Day with books provided in audio and braille editions by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).

Lara Marshall, RNIB’s Library Services Manager, said: “For children with vision impairment reading opens up a world of imagination and information that’s vital in enriching their lives and developing their education.

“RNIB’s Library ensures children with vision impairment always have access to books in accessible formats such as braille and audio so they can delve into the stories they love and hear and feel them come to life.

“What better way to celebrate World Book Day than to recognise literature in all its forms – and the life-changing impact accessible formats can have for children – enabling them to access stories on a par with their sighted peers.”

The 2026 World Book Day books are available in braille and audio with help from RNIB. Call 0303 123 9999 or email helpline@rnib.org.uk.

Children with vision impairment have also been invited to a very special event in partnership with the British Library, World Book Day, Penguin Random House, The Roald Dahl Foundation and VICTA – a charity which supports children with vision impairments –  set to take place at the British Library on March 15.

Author Sibéal Pounder, one of this year’s World Book Day writers will be leading three sessions for children with vision impairment based on her Willy Wonka book, Chaos at the Chocolate Factory. Other events will follow later in the year.

To access books throughout the year, readers of every age with a vision impairment or sight loss will find more than 52,000 books in accessible formats including audio and braille from the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).

Visit the RNIB Library for audio or braille books at www.rniblibrary.com and RNIB Reading Services for digital downloads at readingservices.rnib.org.uk

Students and Education Professionals can also access education resources in accessible formats through RNIB Bookshare: www.rnibbookshare.org

For more information on reading with vision impairment, take a look at www.rnib.org.uk/reading and Children’s Reading | RNIB Education and Learning | RNIB

BBC’s 500 Words competition winners announced

The winners of the UK’s most successful children’s writing competition, 500 Words, have been unveiled on World Book Day® in a special episode of The One Show – 500 Words with The One Show – on BBC One and iPlayer.

From thousands of talented entries, six exceptional young authors who submitted their stories to the BBC’s 500 words competition were crowned last week at the Grand Final in Buckingham Palace, with their identities kept secret until the big reveal on today’s special edition of The One Show.

Her Majesty the Queen invited Romesh Ranganathan and a host of celebrity readers including Hugh Bonneville, Oti Mabuse, Luke Evans, Olivia Dean, Tom Hiddleston and star of Matilda, Alisha Weir, to Buckingham Palace for the final event which opened with a special performance of ‘Pure Imagination’ from ‘Wonka’, courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures, followed by ‘When I Grow Up’ performed by the West End cast of Matilda The Musical.

All the excitement from entire event, including all the live performances by celebrity readers of the winning stories, will be available to watch on CBBC at 4pm Friday 8 March.

Speaking at the Grand Final, Her Majesty The Queen said: “In the three years that we have been without this wonderful competition, I think we have realised how much we have missed it.

“Over the years, it has actually turned into half a billion words that have been written, typed, scribbled and tumbled onto thousands of pages by children across the UK, read by an army of volunteers and then sent to Oxford University Press to form the biggest collection of children’s writing in the world.

“That means that between you, you have created more than a million stories of thought-provoking adventure for future generations to study and enjoy. Thank you to everybody who has taken part in 500 Words – it is a huge pleasure to have you back.”

BBC Head of Education, Helen Foulkes said: “It’s incredible that we received almost 44,000 entries – the calibre of stories submitted this year have been exceptionally high.

“500 Words is all about encouraging children from across the UK to enjoy writing and let their imaginations run wild, without fear of spelling, punctuation or grammar. Our hope is that every child that entered continues to fall in love with writing.”

The six winners were chosen from two age group categories, ages 5-7 and 8-11 with each consisting of gold, silver and bronze awards.

500 Words Gold Winners

  • The GOLD Winner for 5-7 age group is Evan from London, his story, Message in a Bottle was read by singer Olivia Dean. Evan said: “I like writing descriptions, letters and diaries.”
  • The GOLD Winner for the 8-11 age group is Olive from London, her story, Cellmate was read by actor, Tom Hiddleston. Olive said: “It came from the depths of my brain, I never knew what was down there, now I do!”

500 Words Silver Winners

  • The SILVER Winner for the 5-7 age group is Clara from Leicestershire, her story, Pony With a Coat on – Solving Crimes was read by Matilda star, Alisha Weir.
  • The SILVER Winner for the 8-11 age group was Spencer from Glasgow, his story, The Scottish Gangsta was read by Hugh Bonneville.

500 Words Bronze Winners

  • The BRONZE Winner for the 5-7 age group was Henry from Oxfordshire, his story The Alien and the Purple Planet was read by Oti Mabuse.
  • The BRONZE Winner for the 8-11 age group was Aaron from Oxfordshire, his story A Very Important Lesson was read by actor and singer, Luke Evans.

The 500 Words judges included Sir Lenny Henry, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Francesca Simon, Charlie Higson, and Malorie Blackman, who were chaired by BBC Breakfast’s Jon Kay.

Each of the finalist’s stories are available to read now on the BBC Teach website, alongside audio versions which have been voiced specially by BBC Radio Drama Actors

Letters: RNIB offers free books for children with vision impairments this World Book Day

Dear Editor,

Children across the UK will be exploring the wonderful world of reading on World Book Day®, Thursday 7 March.

World Book Day® aims to encourage reading for pleasure, especially because it is the biggest indicator of a child’s future success in life. It also aims to make sure every child can have a book of their own to read.

For 2024, the theme is ‘Read Your Way’, and children are being encouraged to read any way they like to, whether it be out loud, in their heads, a sentence, a chapter or a page.

Here at the Royal National Institute of Blind people (RNIB), we want to make sure that children with vision impairments can celebrate the power of reading alongside their sighted peers. This means giving them access to the same books and reading opportunities at school and at home.

That’s why we have accessible versions of all of this year’s World Book Day UK titles available in audio and braille as part of our RNIB Library.

This year’s range of books provides adventure, mystery and laughter and titles include Elmer And The Patchwork Story by David McKee, Loki: Tales Of A Bad God by Louie Stowell and The Doomsday Date by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé.

There’s something to suit beginner readers right through to confident book lovers.

Children can have their very own World Book Day® copy to keep, in either braille or CD! The books can be ordered in their preferred format from RNIB’s Helpline on 0303 123 9999.

They are also all available to download in audio and braille from RNIB Reading services at https://readingservices.rnib.org.uk

On behalf of all at RNIB, we wish you an amazing, book-filled World Book Day!

James Bartlett

Senior Manager Reading Services at RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People)

Letters: RNIB invites youngsters with a vision impairment to enter writing competition

Dear Editor,

Gearing up for the celebrations of this year’s World Book Day on 7 March 2024, the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is inviting children with a vision impairment to submit a piece of creative writing for its World Book Day writing competition.

The final competition winners will be judged by multi- award-winning children’s writer Sir Michael Morpurgo – author of books including War Horse and Private Peaceful. The overall winner will receive ten signed copies of Michael Morpurgo’s books.

Writing submissions must be on the theme of ‘adventure’. Taking the lead from RNIB’s motto, ‘See differently’, the charity wants to celebrate different ways of seeing, sensing and taking part in an adventure that children have been on, or that they can imagine.

No previous experience of creative writing is required and RNIB is keen to receive submissions from as many young people aged 5-12 as possible.

Writing and being creative is hugely beneficial and enjoyable for everyone, especially when going through big life-changes such as growing up.

Hearing the unique perspectives of young writers who have a vision impairment will be a real privilege and I can’t wait to read the fabulous work that I’m sure will be created. We are delighted that Michael Morpurgo has agreed to pick the winner for us as part of his support for RNIB’s World Book Day celebrations.

Competition Rules

  • The competition is open to any child or young person between the ages of 5-12 years with a vision impairment in the UK. 
  • The competition runs from 9am on 1 January 2024, to midnight 18 February 2024. 
  • Send in an original piece of writing up to 500 words in a Word document, MP3 audio or MP4 video, via email. 
  • The piece of writing must be based on the theme ‘Adventure’. 
  • Submissions must be in English. 
  • The use of AI, such as ChatGPT is not permitted. 
  • One submission per author: this will be the first entry emailed to us. 
  • Email all entries with the subject of “WBD competition” to lara.marshall@rnib.org.uk. 
  • The top three entries will be sent to award-winning author Michael Morpurgo for him to choose the final winner. 
  • All entries submitted will be read and shortlisted by RNIB’s library team.

Prizes

  • The winner will receive a signed set of ten of Michael Morpurgo’s books, in their preferred format.

Some suggestions to inspire you, but please feel free to come up with your own ideas too:

  • Travelling somewhere new on holiday.
  • Having a crazy dream.
  • Encountering a strange individual.
  • Finding an interesting artefact. Going on a quest to find mysterious treasure.
  • Finding yourself lost in a place you’ve never been before.
  • Having to save a friend in peril.

Good luck!

Lara Marshall,

Library Engagement Manager, RNIB

World Book Day: BBC relaunches 500 Words children’s writing competition

The UK’s most successful children’s writing competition, 500 Words, will relaunch this September, supported by BBC Teach with BBC Breakfast hosting the initiative for 2023. 

The announcement comes on World Book Day.

The BBC is now searching for teachers and librarians across the UK to register their interest in joining the judging panel to help choose the best entries later this year.

500 Words is a UK wide competition to find the most talented young writers. Since it was first launched by Chris Evans on The Radio 2 Breakfast Show in 2011 and continued by Zoe Ball until 2020, the competition has received over a million stories written by children, generating more than 440 million words to date.

Once again, the competition will enjoy the support of Her Majesty The Queen Consort. Her Majesty has a longstanding commitment to championing literacy and creative writing, and has supported the 500 Words competition every year since 2015.

In a recent conversation with BookTrust and Joseph Coelho, the Children’s Laureate, to mark this year’s World Book Day, The Queen Consort spoke about the importance of creative writing competitions like 500 Words and Her Majesty’s ‘joy’ that the competition is being relaunched. 

Joseph Coelho said: “Putting pen to paper doesn’t have to be that scary, which is what is so wonderful about 500 Words. There are no rules!”

The Queen Consort replied: “There’s no rules – they can sit down and write exactly what they like.”

New for 2023, World Book Day ambassador Sir Lenny Henry will be making his debut on the 500 Words judging panel, alongside the original judges – award-winning and best-selling authors Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Francesca Simon, Charlie Higson and former Children’s Laureate Malorie Blackman. 

Lenny will also read a special CBeebies Bedtime Story to celebrate World Book Day on 2 March. He will read Luna Loves World Book Day by Joseph Coelho, a story about a little girl’s excitement to dress up as her favourite book character, meet an author and illustrator and buy a new book with her book token.

The grand final will take place on World Book Day 2024, where 50 finalists will be invited to a star-studded event at a special location. Previous locations for the final have included Windsor Castle, Hampton Court and the Tower of London. 

With a focus on primary schools, the entries will be split into two age categories – 5-7 year olds and 8-11 year olds. 

Chief Content Officer at BBC, Charlotte Moore said: “We are thrilled to once again host the 500 Words competition and help discover a range of young authors with big imaginations. It is fantastic that the competition will be supported by The Queen Consort and we do hope teachers and librarians across the UK will get involved in this chance to help find the writers of tomorrow.”

Author and 500 Words judge, Charlie Higson said: “I am so excited to take part in this year’s 500 Words! We can’t wait to see what stories today’s kids want to tell. I know that my fellow judges and I will be laughing, crying, gasping and I’m sure left feeling amazed at all the talent on display.”

BBC Breakfast presenter, Jon Kay said: “We are delighted to be championing 500 Words and look forward to the no doubt stellar entries from talented, aspiring young writers up and down the country that are sure to follow in due course.”

Teachers and librarians can find out more information about volunteering to take part in the first round of judging  at BBC Teach. The Reading Agency will then whittle down the entries into a top 50, which are then passed onto the final judging panel who will select the bronze, silver and gold winners in each of the two age categories. The competition is focused on imagination and creativity, rather than spelling, punctuation or grammar, encouraging children of all abilities to enter. 

To help raise awareness in schools, encourage as many entries from young creative minds as possible and provide further support for teachers, BBC Teach will run the competition in partnership with World Book Day, The Reading Agency, Libraries Connected, The Publishers Association and Oxford University Press. 

A host of famous faces will read out the six winning stories, with narrators from previous years including the likes of Dua Lipa, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jodie Whittaker. 

This World Book Day, half a million children in UK don’t own a single book

As reading attainment rises in schools, reading for pleasure continues its sharp decline

To mark World Book Day 2023, the charity is calling on teachers, carers and parents to ensure that reading for pleasure is encouraged as much as reading attainment, in and outside of schools.

While reading was the only core subject which saw attainment levels improve in 2022, (at Key Stage 2, 75% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, up from 73% in 2019. 28% of pupils reached the higher standard in reading, up from 27% in 2019[2]), the National Literacy Trust’s Annual Literacy Survey shows that the number of children who say they enjoy it is in serious decline. 

Reading for pleasure is not just a ‘nice to have’, it is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success – more than their family circumstances, their parents’ educational background or their income.

However, reading for pleasure is at its lowest levels in 18 years; fewer than one in two (47.8%) children aged 8 to 18 said they enjoyed reading in 2022, the lowest level since 2005. This is even lower for children growing up in poverty; fewer children and young people who receive Free School Meals (FSMs) said they enjoyed reading compared with their peers who do not receive FSMs (43.8% vs. 48.8%). The percentage-point-gap between these groups has more than doubled from 2.1pp to 5pp, between 2020 and 2022.

The cost of living is putting the biggest squeeze on family budgets in years and creating further barriers to reading for pleasure, with almost two thirds (64%) of parents saying they currently have less money to spend on books for their children than before.  500,000 (1 in 15; 6.5%) children in England aged 8 – 18 say they don’t own a single book, which rises to one in 10 (9.7%) for those eligible for Free School Meals. Over one in five (22.4%) pupils receiving free school meals said that the book they ‘bought’ with their World Book Day book token was the first book of their own.

This year, the charity World Book Day has focused on a large number of initiatives and provided guidance to ensure anyone can take part and experience the joy and inspiration of reading, regardless of household income. 

This includes ideas for no or low-cost costumes or costume swaps, book swaps or other free activities in school or community groups. There is also advice on how to fundraise more inclusively, focusing more on reading over other aspects such as dressing up.

Fewer boys than girls said they enjoyed reading (45.6% vs. 54.9%) and fewer than 3 in 10 (28.0%) children and young people aged 8 to 18 said that they read daily, the second-lowest level since the National Literacy Trust survey began. Boys who receive Free School Meals had the lowest levels of reading enjoyment, with just 2 in 5 (39.8%) enjoying reading; a drop of 6.5 per cent since 2020.

Children and young people who take part in World Book Day activities enjoy reading more compared with their peers who don’t take part – 63.8% vs 48.4%, while 54.7% read more books as a result of World Book Day.

Parents surveyed by the charity said that 50% of children find reading more fun because of World Book Day, 48% make more time to read and 49% feel they have more choice in what they read because of it. Children who are the most engaged with literacy are also three times more likely to have higher levels of mental wellbeing than those who are the least engaged (39.4% vs 11.8%.)

In its 25th year in 2022, World Book Day distributed 50 million £1 book tokens through schools, nurseries, magazines and partnerships, to enable children to get a book of their own, for free.

Cassie Chadderton, CEO of World Book Day comments: “World Book Day exists to encourage more children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to benefit from a life-long habit of reading for pleasure. Many families are facing financial challenges so we want all children, families, schools and communities to feel welcome to celebrate the joy of reading in ways that work for them.

“There are lots of affordable, inclusive and of course, enjoyable ways to create joy and excitement around reading. Dressing up is a great way to encourage children to read, and we’ve shared ideas for other fun activities and resources to help schools, nurseries and families to work together to create a World Book Day where everyone feels included. The joy of reading cannot be underestimated in terms of improved wellbeing and the improved life chances it can lead to.”

Jonathan Douglas CBE, Chief Executive of the National Literacy Trust, said: “World Book Day is an important moment to inspire and delight children with the wonder of books and a powerful platform to reinforce the importance of building literacy skills for life – this is even more essential during times of economic hardship.

“Economic studies have shown that reading for pleasure can result in children getting better GCSEs, in turn boosting their lifetime earnings and raising the UK’s GDP. In the future, my hope is that more children will grow up to be adults who read and that reading and books are part of their world.”

Letters: RNIB and World Book Day

Dear Editor,

Children across the UK will be stepping into their imaginations and dressing up as their favourite characters for World Book Day this Thursday on March 2nd.

Here at the Royal National Institute of Blind people (RNIB), we want to make sure that children with vision impairments can celebrate the power of reading on World Book Day – and every day of the year – alongside their fully sighted peers. This means giving them access to the same books and reading opportunities at school and at home.

That’s why we’re so excited that, for the first time, we have accessible electronic versions of all this year’s World Book Day titles available to download as part of our RNIB Library (www.rniblibrary.com). This means that all learners with a print disability can get them at the same time as their friends and classmates!

This year’s range of books includes Lenny Henry’s ‘The Boy with Wings; Attack of the Rampaging Robot’, ‘Lifesize Creepy Crawlies’ by Sophy Henn and the hilarious ‘Bedtime for the Burpee Bears’ by Joe Wicks and Paul Howard.

There’s something to suit beginner-readers right through to confident book-lovers. So whether your child is dreaming of being able to fly or spinning webs like Spiderman, there’s sure to be something to spark their imagination.

The books are also available in braille and audio CD and can be ordered through RNIB’s Helpline on 0303 123 9999.

On behalf of all at RNIB, we wish you an amazing, word-filled World Book Day!

James Bartlett

Senior Manager Reading Services, RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People)

Primary Schools start the first chapter towards a career in construction

Children at Frogston Primary School and Wallyford Primary School have been left inspired by the varied construction careers available thanks to the donation of educational books from Barratt Developments Scotland, which includes Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes.

The homebuilder, who is currently building a range of homes at its St Clements and Heritage Grange developments, has donated a class bundle of ‘We Can Build’ books to the school, marking the 25th anniversary of World Book Day.

Written by graduates on Barratt and David Wilson Homes’ two-year development programme, ASPIRE, the story takes children on the journey of building a home through the lens of various professions in the housebuilding industry.

It aims to introduce young learners to each element of the new build construction industry and sustainability in construction, as well as inspiring the next generation of architects, engineers and site managers. 

The book has been purchased by Barratt Developments Scotland for distribution across the country, as well as offered to colleagues, families and friends, with all profits going towards the Prince’s Trust, which helps connect young people with mentors, career opportunities and pathways into inspiring futures.

Lorraine Lawrie, Head Teacher at Frogston Primary School said: “Primary 2 pupils at Frogston Primary School had a great time during their visit from Kirsten at Barratt Developments Scotland.

“They loved their new books and were very inspired by the different jobs and careers portrayed inside. They were discussing the book with each other and choosing their favourite characters. They particularly loved Esme the Engineer and architect proved to be a very popular career choice!”

Louise Innes, Depute Head Teacher at Wallyford Primary School said: “We are delighted with the gift of Barratt’s ‘We Can Build’ books to coincide with World Book Day.

“These will be a useful resource to help our children learn more about the construction industry and the wider world of work.”

Anne Ross, East Scotland Sales Director at Barratt and David Wilson Homes Scotland said: “There’s no better people in our business to write the book than the young graduates who have just entered the industry and are passionate about sharing their learnings with the next generation.

“Construction isn’t just about building, there’s something for everyone. From marketing and sales to architecture and project management, it’s a rewarding and varied career – and at the end of the day you’ve helped make an important contribution to local communities. 

“We hope the books will help to inspire the next generation of built environment experts and STEM learners at Wallyford Primary School and Frogston Primary School.”

Rare Birds Book Club celebrates World Book Day by partnering with Ronald McDonald House

Monthly book delivery and digital book club gifts books to Ronald McDonald House in Glasgow

Headquartered in Scotland, Rare Birds Book Club has announced a second partnership with Ronald McDonald House in Glasgow, donating over 60 books to celebrate World Book Day and offer a little escape to residents after a tumultuous year.  

Having originally gifted 82 Rare Birds’ favourites back in the summer of 2020, the home of women’s fiction wanted to continue supporting the charity, sharing a further 42 children’s books and 20 adult reads to add to the ever-growing library.

With reading being the top of the list for many during lockdown, Rare Birds was keen to provide something proven to lower stress and boost wellbeing, especially on the most important day of the literary calendar.

Families staying in the House during the last donation inspired this second delivery, having divulged how reading helped them during some of their most difficult times:

I find books really calming, so when I saw a book at my bedside that wee comfort blanket just made me burst into tears. It made me think that these people just knew me and what I needed to help me get through this time in hospital. That wee touch made me feel so welcome and settled me in during an incredibly difficult time.

I’m quite a homebody, I’m not great with change and like the rest of the family was incredibly anxious about the operation our wee boy was facing. We were away from home and all our support like my mum and sister, all during COVID 19 – my anxiety levels were sky high. I read the picture books to the kids when trying to get them to sleep at night or off for a nap and I think it actually helped me more than them! Soothing stories that calmed the kids and helped me be that little bit less anxious.

My routine after leaving my baby in the ward at night was dinner, shower and tucked up in bed with a book. This sense of routine helped me settle and feel more in control of myself even with everything we were facing at hospital, especially during the pandemic.

Ronald McDonald House Glasgow is an independent Scottish charity providing a safe, welcoming and cost-free home-from-home for families of children who are being treated in nearby hospitals, was chosen for the donation of books to offer a moment of respite for those in residence.

31 ensuite bedrooms hosted 504 families in 2019, gifting over 11,000 nights to those in need; families often arrive under emergency circumstances with only the clothes on their backs and can be miles away from their support network.

For more information visit https://rarebirdsbookclub.com/

Matilda and Wimpy Kids will top World Book Day costume charts

Matilda will be the most popular costume for World Book Day 2021, according to search trends.

Costumes for the character from the Roald Dahl favourite are the most searched for in the UK. Miss Trunchball and Miss Honey from the book are also expected to be amongst the most popular.

The analysis, compiled by www.takepayments.com, reveals Diary of a Wimpy Kid follows Matilda in the list of costume inspiration parents are searching for the most.

Harry Potter and Alice in Wonderland are also top search terms, whilst David Walliams and Julia Donaldson are the most searched for authors. 

Futurist (Eh? – Ed.) Tracey Follows predicts* that characters from the books of Jacqueline Wilson and Michael Morpurgo will also heavily feature this year.

World Book Day 2021 takes place tomorrow (4th March). With schools not expected to reopen until at least 8th March and lockdown restrictions still in place, this year organisers are encouraging families to dress up at home and get involved online.

There will be special free digital events including ‘Share a Story Live’ and author academy videos will be available online.

Books are once again being offered for just £1 through book tokens with more than 15 million tokens being made available to children across the country.

Bosses are also being encouraged to allow their staff to go home early so they can share stories with the children in their lives.

Google search trends on the biggest UK events have been compiled by www.takepayments.com as part of a 2021 report which can be found here.

* Tracey Follows is a professional futurist who runs the consultancy, Futuremade. She helps brands and businesses spot trends, develop foresight and fully prepare for what comes next. She is the author of the forthcoming book The Future of You, out March 2021.