World Book Day means different things to different people. For some it’s the excitement of dressing up as their favourite character. For others (usually parents and caregivers) it’s the stress of finding that perfect World Book Day costume. Then there are the children who enthusiastically bound into their local bookshop with their free book voucher, delighted to be able to choose a book that’s brand new and theirs. For some, it’s just another day to enjoy the simple pleasure of reading.
World Book Day mission
The mission of World Book Day is to promote reading for pleasure. On their website it states that: “Reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success – more than their family circumstances, their parents’ educational background or their income.”
This statement alone shows just how important reading is and how vital it is to promote it to children, no matter what their situation. After all, reading is an activity that, thanks to libraries and schools, is available to all. However, like many things in life, it is also an activity more appealing to some than others.
There are those who absolutely love to read, often this is something that is ingrained into their childhood and beyond. Book shops and libraries are havens to them, and they take great comfort from the power of reading. Then there are those who don’t enjoy reading, again this is something that can also be ingrained in childhood and beyond. For them, reading is not a solace, it’s more of a chore, and because they don’t enjoy it, they don’t read for pleasure. In fact, they may well avoid reading altogether.
However, the benefits of reading are so great that a positive experience with books and reading in those early years is so important. And this is what World Book Day wants to promote. But it’s also imperative to remember that, in the same way we all have different tastes when it comes to food and clothes, we also all have different tastes when it comes to books. It is not a case of one size fits all.
We’re all different.
But fortunately, books are too.
The joy of reading
It was once said somewhere, that if you don’t like reading, then you haven’t found the right book. Reading for pleasure isn’t an activity restricted for those who can afford it or who like certain things. There is a book out there for everyone. You just have to find it. And once you find one book you enjoy, more than likely you will go on and find more.
Reading should be a joyful activity. There will always be those books that have to be read for one reason or another, but there should also be more that are read solely for the pleasure of reading.
So, World Book Day is a bit more than finding the perfect costume. It’s about enjoying books in all their glory, both for regular readers – and those who see themselves as non-readers. It’s about inspiring children to want to read. To be honest, it’s about inspiring everyone to want to read. And it’s about bringing books alive.
After all, if you love reading, there’s no end to where it could lead you, because reading is a superpower. Reading is magical.
And we all need a bit of magic in our lives.
