St Martin-in-the-Fields High School For Girls - a Church of England School in South London

4 March 2021 marks the 24th year that there has been a World Book Day. It was created by UNESCO on 23 April 1995 as a worldwide celebration of books and reading. It is marked in over 100 countries around the globe. The first World Book Day in the UK and Ireland took place in 1997 to encourage young people to discover the pleasure of reading.

World Book Day founder, Baroness Gail Rebuck, said “We wanted to do something to reposition reading and our message is the same today as it was then – that reading is fun, relevant, accessible, exciting, and has the power to transform lives.”

Spending just 10 minutes a day reading and sharing stories with children can make a crucial difference to their future success and it’s fun for all involved. That’s why World Book Day continues to encourage children and young people to read for pleasure through its work with authors, illustrators, publishers, bookshops and libraries.

As she enjoyed selecting her free book courtesy of World Book Day, Maya remarked, "When I was younger, my dad used to read fairy tale books to me. I always loved him reading to me. It was then that I started to think about wanting to become a writer. I started to read Harry Potter books and they really inspired me to read, then I got the entire set! I miss not being able to go to the library or the shops to choose and physically hold and read a book, but hope to be able to do this again soon. Reading really inspires me, I learn a lot of new vocabulary and get drawn into the vision of the book I am reading. I love World Book Day!"

Below, St Martin's staff celebrating World Book Day!

World Book Day 2021