Are you familiar with the history of World Book Day?
It is World Book Day day today – so what does it mean?
The History of World Book Day Over the Past 20 Years
Some people might be surprised to learn that World Book Day’s beginnings date back to 1923 in Catalonia. Originally a Catalan custom, it honours the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes, who wrote the well-known novel Don Quixote, by distributing books to friends and family. But the first real example of the day we now know and enjoy around the world didn’t appear until 1995.
In order to promote reading, publishing, and copyright, UNESCO first established World Book Day in 1995 as “World Book & Copyright Day.”
But since then, it has expanded beyond anyone’s wildest expectations, with more than 100 nations currently participating in World Book Day Celebrations that cover everything from writing and reading to fancy dress and theatrical productions.
Traditionally observed on April 23, this day was chosen to commemorate the passing of Miguel De Cervantes and William Shakespeare, as well as other well-known writers such Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, who were all associated with that date either by birth or death.
However, in order to mark World Book Day within the academic year, the UK does so on the first Thursday of March. This enables schoolchildren and their parents to experience the spirit of World Book Day and offers them the most exposure to all of the amazing events and activities that it has to offer.
The non-profit charity World Book Day was founded in 1998 by then-prime minister Tony Blair as a means of calming anxieties and worries about low reading and writing standards. Its sole goal is to “create readers for the future by igniting a love of books and reading in children and young people.”
“The level of children’s engagement with reading was at a point of national crisis in 1997,” states Baroness Gail Rebuck, the founder of Quick Reads and Chair of Penguin Random House UK, who also founded World Book Day UK.
According to a government survey published the year before, 42% of 11-year-olds could not meet the requirements for secondary school admission in reading and writing at level 4. Our goal was to reposition reading, and our message remains the same today as it did back then: reading is exciting, engaging, relevant, approachable, and has the capacity to change people’s lives. I have personally witnessed the impact of World Book Day on societal transformation, and I hope it continues.
In an effort to get more kids reading, World Book Day UK teamed up with National Book Tokens to give every schoolchild in the UK a £1 Book Token, which they could use to purchase any book they wanted or on certain £1 World Book Day novels. To keep the entire day focused on book-based fun, there are also a number of additional events taking place, such as special activity days, book swaps, and readings with famous £1 book writers.
However, World Book Day has expanded significantly over the past 19 years and is now about much more than just book tokens. Nowadays, most UK schools consider World Book Day to be an important part of their curriculum and provide a wide variety of activities for kids, such as reading contests, hands-on activities, and—most importantly—fancy dress.
World Book Day has undergone a full transformation because to dressing up, which is now arguably its most identifiable feature. The advantages of using fancy dress costumes to recreate beloved characters, keep reading engaging, and spark conversations about selected books have been widely recognized by schools.
