World Book Day has been running for more than 25 years and is set to take place again this week on Thursday.

It is an event that the National Literacy Trust labelled an "essential calendar fixture" for schools and communities across the world.

Here is everything you need to know ahead of World Book Day 2023.

When is World Book Day 2023? 

World Book Day 2023 is scheduled to take place on Thursday, March 2.

However, teacher strikes are scheduled for Thursday, with schools across the UK set to close as a result. 

So will World Book Day be cancelled?

A spokesperson addressed the concerns about the event falling on the same day as the strikes, saying World Book Day didn't have to be celebrated on one particular day, it was down to individual schools and nurseries.

A World Book Day spokesperson said: "World Book Day encourages children to develop a love of reading every day of the year.

"World Book Day is on Thursday March 2nd this year, but schools and nurseries are always able to hold their World Book Day events and activities whenever works best for their community.

"The World Book Day website provides a huge range of events, resources and materials for teachers and families to support their encouragement of reading for pleasure, all year round."

What is the theme for World Book Day 2023?

The theme for World Book Day 2023 is making it 'your' World Book Day. 

The National Literacy Trust said: "Since it was first celebrated in the UK and Ireland over 25 years ago, the day has grown to become an essential calendar fixture for schools, settings and communities.

"It provides a fantastic opportunity to focus on reading for pleasure, supporting children's autonomy in book choice, and embedding a habit of reading that brings a wide range of benefits."

What is World Book Day?

The World Book Day website said: "Our mission is to promote reading for pleasure, offering every child and young person the opportunity to have a book of their own.

"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."

Dorset Echo: A.M. Dassu (left) with her book 'Boot It' which is on the World Book Day £1 book listA.M. Dassu (left) with her book 'Boot It' which is on the World Book Day £1 book list (Image: A.M. Dassu/Twitter)

The aim of World Book Day is to get children of all ages to come together and share the joy of reading.

The event was created by UNESCO on April 23, 1995 as a worldwide celebration of books and reading.

It is celebrated in more than 100 countries across the world.

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.”

How can I take part in World Book Day 2023?

Schools across the UK will hold their own World Book Day activities which often include a dress-up day.

Over 4,000 booksellers will also take part in World Book Day 2023, hosting events and activities.

However, the World Book Day website shares some ideas as to how you can celebrate at home. 

They have online activities, free audiobooks, YouTube videos, reading recommendations and author and illustrator academy videos.

There are a number of official in-person events across the UK as well including:

  • ‘Boot It!’ author A.M. Dassu will be visiting Peterborough Football Club 
  • Sir Lenny Henry will visit his hometown of Dudley to read extracts from ‘The Boy with Wings: Attack of the Rampaging Robot’ to 600 children from local schools.
  • Tom Percival will also attend an event in Swindon and read from his book, ‘Billy’s Bravery’ to primary years.​

The National Literacy Trust also has a number of online activities for children to take part in as well as teaching materials.

World Book Day 2023 £1 book list

The World Book Day website said the £1 books were an important part of their mission to promote reading for pleasure by offering every child and young person the opportunity to choose and own a book.

The website added: "We work with publishers and children to create a list that appeals to a wide range of interests and stages of reading with the help of our selection guidance."

  • Billy's Bravery, Tom Percival, Bloomsbury Children's Books
  • Bedtime for the Burpee Bears, Joe Wicks, Paul Howard, HarperCollins Children's Books
  • Lifesize Creepy Crawlies, Sophy Henn, Red Shed, Farshore
  • You Choose Your Adventure, Pippa Goodhart, Nick Sharratt, Puffin (Penguin Random House Children's)
  • Dave Pigeon: Bookshop Mayhem, Swapna Haddow, Sheena Dempsey, Faber
  • Marvel Spider-Man the Amazing Pocket Guide, Catherine Saunders, DK
  • The Boy with Wings: Attack of the Rampaging Robot, Lenny Henry, Keenon Ferrell, Macmillan Children's Books
  • A Dragon Realm Adventure, Katie & Kevin Tsang, Simon & Schuster Children's Books
  • The Strangeworlds Travel Agency: Adventure in the Floating Mountains, L.D. Lapinski, Hachette Children's Group
  • Kay's Brilliant Brains, Adam Kay, Henry Paker, Puffin (Penguin Random House Children's)
  • Boot It!, A. M. Dassu, Zainab 'Daby' Faidhi, Old Barn Books
  • Being an Ally: Real Talk About Showing Up, Screwing Up, and Trying Again, Shakirah Bourne (she/her), Dana Alison Levy (she/her) (Co-editors), DK
  • Hazel Tree Farm: One Stormy Night, Alma Jordan, Margaret Anne Suggs, The O'Brien Press (IRELAND ONLY)
  • Rita agus an Dragún, Máire Zepf, Mr Ando, An tSnáthaid Mhór (IRELAND ONLY)
  • Gwisg Ffansi Cyw, Anni Llŷn, Y Lolfa (WALES ONLY)

The £1 books can be arranged through schools, nurseries, magazines, and partners - 50 million £1 tokens are distributed to children and young people.

They can then go and select their free book from their nearest bookseller (bookshop or supermarket).

The £1 books are available in braille, large print & audio via Guide Dogs, NCBI, RNIB and Calibre Audio.