Celebrating World Book Day
World Book Day is Awesome! Children from around the world are dressing up as their favourite book characters and celebrating literature. World Book Day has been running for over 20 years. It was founded by Baroness Gail Rebuck. She wanted to send the message out to the world that “reading is fun, relevant, accessible, exciting, and has the power to transform lives.”
Dressing up for World Book Day has become a tradition in schools across the UK. It’s so sweet seeing children dressed up as The Gruffalo or little witches from Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches. Some children go into schools in homemade costumes. Some have shop bought ones. I was lucky that my mum is a master at making costumes and made all my clothes. I am not as talented as my mum and tend to buy Sops’ costumes from the store.
But we mustn’t forget that World Book Day is so much more than having fun dressing up and using our imaginations. It is also to think about the gift of books and reading. It is marvellous that people can write their ideas down and share it with others; that is how civilizations grow. Did you know that the Romans invented the book?
World Book Day 2024
This year World Book Day falls on 7th March. There is a plethora of virtual activities happening from the World Book Day website. Also, your own school or local library, might hold events, so do check them out.
Our Top 10 Reading List
Stuck on which book to read next? Sops and I love reading. Here are our favourite books of all time, that we would recommend to everybody.
(N.B: Links on this post are affiliated with Amazon. This means Sops and I may receive a small commission if you use the link. For more information see our Affiliation Disclaimer here.)
Anne of Green Gables – This is my no.1 favourite book of all time. I originally watched the TV series starring Megan Follows and was hooked. I read the book and it was filled with even more crazy tales of Anne Shirley. Anne taught me to be a romantic. Once you have read the first book you will want to read the whole series.
The Hobbit– It took me a little while to get into this book and I didn’t appreciate the giant spiders in it, but I fell in love with Bilbo and the Dwarves and Gandalf and Middle Earth. I became a Tolkien convert. I highly recommend reading the book, as it is so much better than the films. You will soon become immersed in Middle Earth and will never want to leave.
Lord of the Rings – One cannot read The Hobbit and not want to automatically read Lord of the Rings afterward. I certainly wanted to know what happened to Bilbo next. I was a little disappointed that the story revolves around Frodo instead, (because secretly I prefer Bilbo). But Samwise Gamgee is the true hero of this story. Lord of the Rings introduces other great memorable characters such as Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and Boromir as well as some great female characters like Galadriel and Eowyn. It also features some other hobbits including Pippin and Merry. It is a truly epic story.
Harry Potter Series – Both Sops and I love Harry Potter. I remember people talking about it in the late 90’s and I wasn’t sure about it. My brother read it and said it was “quintessentially British”. I was curious, so read the first book at university and By Golly was it addictive! Every book in the series is a page-turner, and I confess I did read it all the time, even during church services! Btw the books are so much better than the films, so do read them.
Goth Girl – Sops loves this series. The author, Chris Riddell is a writer and illustrator who draws some wonderful illustrations. Goth Girl has some funny and very peculiar problems. Like this book where a bear falls in love with her. However the name ‘Goth Girl’ would suggest it is dark and gothic, but it really isn’t. Certainly an appealing book to tween girls.
The School for Good and Evil Series – I just finished the last book in the series and it was fabulous. Each book is truly gripping. I am one of the slowest readers in the world, but I whizzed through the series at the rate of knots. There are some fascinating characters in the story that you come to love. But the story really asks great philosophical questions about the place of good and evil in stories and where love fits into it all.
Artemis Fowl Series – Artemis Fowl is a fantastic mix of Celtic mythology and 21st century technology. The fairy world is buried deep in the earth’s centre away from the destructive human race. But they have all the modern conveniences of contemporary life. Actually, a lot of their technology is much better than our own. And you think Artemis Fowl is a villain for kidnapping a fairy, well that is nothing compared to what the megalomaniac pixie Opal is capable of.
Poetry – Or more specifically The Barefoot Book of Classic Poems, illustrated by Jackie Morris. Sops and I love poetry and she completely fell in love with this book when her teacher showed it to her. The illustrations are so beautiful, and it’s a great way to introduce children to great classic poems like ‘’The Jabberwocky’ by Lewis Carrol and ‘Tiger’ by William Blake.
Dinosaurs love Underpants – This was a favourite book of ours when Sops was young. It’s a hilarious picture book, with a curious twist at the end. Suitable for all ages. There is a whole series of picture books about underpants and how great they are. Who knew underpants were so popular?
The World’s Worst Teachers – David Walliams has written some hilarious, laugh-out-loud children’s books over the years. Sops and I recommend them all. We especially recommend this book, as I am sure you will agree that they are The World’s Worst Teachers of all time, (unless your own teacher is worse?) If they are do let us know in the comments below.
Share your story
How have you celebrated World Book Day? Have you dressed as your favourite book character? Or met with your favourite author online? What is your favourite book? Tell us all about it in the comments below.
