World Book Day 2022 You are a reader!
Exploring the impact of World Book Day on the reading lives of children in the UK 2019-2021 The National Literacy Trust was commissioned by World Book Day to evaluate the impact of the initiative on the reading lives of children aged 8 to 11 in the UK. This report covers research conducted between 2019 and 2021, which aimed to capture children’s perceptions of how the event supports their reading opportunities and influences their developing reading identities. It shows how World Book Day welcomes children into the world of books and reading in two ways: by helping all children become book owners, many for the first time, and by supporting a variety of activities and experiences essential for building life-long readers. Key findings •
Children's comments suggested that World Book Day tokens supported or widened their reading experiences by making books financially accessible, allowing them to choose a book that matched their interests or to discover a new favourite author or series. This also opened up other benefits of being part of the world of book ownership for children, such as keeping, rereading or swapping their new books, extending these benefits beyond the event itself.
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World Book Day tokens also increased children's sense of books being 'special' and their subsequent pride in being a book owner. As one child said, "I just want to treasure it because I never get things that are new."
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World Book Day was also a much-anticipated date in the calendar for children who described waiting for World Book Day to get a longawaited book by a favourite author. However, it was also associated with venturing beyond usual reading choices for many children,