Ahead of the celebration on 7th March 2024, World Book Day can reveal the 15 new £1/€1.50 books as part of the charity’s commitment to encourage reading for pleasure.
The 2024 £1/€1.50 World Book Day selection includes re-imagined classics, adventure tales, picture books and comic book and graphic stories, as the charity continues to create a £1/€1.50 book line up that gives all children choice in what they read. Watch our
World Book Day 2024 Ireland: Official £1/€1.50 books and campaign reveal here:
Two exclusive titles will be available for young readers in Ireland to choose from. The Irish-language book supported by Foras na Gaeilge, will be Inis Mara by Tristan Rosenstock & illustrated by Mark Wickham, which is published by Irish-language publisher LeabhairCOMHAR.
The title will be joining The Curious Case of the Irish Yeti: Molly Malone and Bram Stoker by Alan Nolan & illustrated by Shane Cluskey, published by The O’Brien Press, along with 13 other titles from Rob Biddulph, Louie Stowell and Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé amongst others.
At the core of the World Book Day’s work to change lives through reading is the opportunity for all children to have a book of their own. Data from World Book Day’s Impact Report for 2023 revealed the charity’s considerable effect on the lives of children across the UK and Ireland. In 2023, over 2 million £1/€1.50 books were gifted to children by booksellers and publishers. A total of 50 million £1/€1.50 book tokens were distributed by the charity through schools, magazines, and partnerships and more, ensuring that as many children as possible had a book to enjoy and call their own.
As reading for pleasure continues to be the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success – more than family circumstances, parents’’ educational background and their income, World Book Day aims to reach communities, families, and children in areas of high deprivation and low literacy. To further boost its reach and impact the charity’s newly published strategy for 2023 – 2027 sets out how it will encourage more children, from all backgrounds, to develop a life-long habit of reading for pleasure, and benefit from the improved life chances this brings them.
World Book Day will continue to work with a network of partners to extend its reach and impact, including Foras na Gaeilge, An Post, Vision Ireland, BookTrust, National Literacy Trust, Publishers Association, Booksellers Association and Read for Good.
Last year, these partnerships resulted in over 90,000 £1/€1.50 books given to children in areas of high deprivation and low literacy across the UK and Ireland, with the charity looking to expand on this success in 2024.
Cassie Chadderton, CEO, World Book Day said: “Encouraging children to love reading for pleasure is our charity’s mission. It’s vital we reach more children than ever, so that every child can benefit from the improved life chances that reading for pleasure brings.
“We are thrilled to announce an exciting list of £1/€1,50 book authors for 2024. We are confident that these fun and inspirational books will spark children’s interest in discovering more books and reading for pleasure!”
Seán Ó Coinn, CEO, Foras na Gaeilge said:
“We are thrilled to announce our continued support for World Book Day Ireland with the inclusion of an Irish language title for the third consecutive year. Following on from the success of two Irish-language books for early readers, we are delighted that this year’s book will give fluent readers an opportunity to enjoy an Irish-language adventure story about climate change, the value of working with others, and the importance of the truth as part of World Book Day 2024.
We are delighted that the Irish language will be at the heart of the campaign in Ireland once again with plenty of Irish-language materials and resources for World Book Day 2024, including Irish-language audiobooks, bilingual information packs and book tokens for schools.
We are also excited to share that thanks to our wonderful partners at Vision Ireland, the Irish-language title, Inis Mara will be made accessible in both braille and digital formats for the second year in a row.”
Debbie Byrne, An Post Managing Director, Retail said:
“We are delighted to work with World Book Day to distribute the World Book Day 2024 books to children and young people in Ireland to support them choosing a book of their own. The joys and benefits of reading last a lifetime.”
Vision Ireland added:
“We are very happy to continue our support for World Book Day and making the whole £1/€1.50 book selection, including the Irish-language title, available in accessible formats meaning that children in Ireland have the widest possible choice on World Book Day 2024.”
Tristan Rosenstock commented:
“World Book Day is a celebration of reading and I am so excited that this year young readers will be able to enjoy Inis Mara as part of that celebration. Inis Mara is my debut book, which makes it even more special, and I hope readers will enjoy Éabha’s adventures as she takes on a powerful leader who is destroying her island in order to fill his own greedy pockets with more money.
“Ceiliúradh ar an léitheoireacht atá i gceist le Lá Domhanda na Leabhar agus tá ríméad orm go mbeidh deis ag daoine óga Inis Mara a léamh mar chuid de Lá Domhanda na Leabhar 2024. Is é Inis Mara an chéad leabhar a scríobh mé, agus tugann sé an-mhisneach dom go mbeidh sé á léamh ag na míllte léitheoirí óga. Tá súil agam go mbainfidh gach duine taitneamh as eachtraí Éabha, agus í ag iarraidh deireadh a chur le ceannaire santach atá ag milleadh Inis Mara chun a phócaí féin a líonadh.”
Alan Nolan commented: “A book can be many things – a time machine you can control to take you to the past or into the future, a submarine you can steer to help you explore the deepest secrets of the Earth, or a rocket ship you can pilot to fly you to the farthest reaches of the galaxy.
It can also simply be a pair of someone else’s shoes that you can pull on, to better understand their life, how they live and how they love.
I am delighted to be one of the World Book Day authors for World Book Day 2024, but even more than that, I am proud to be a reader and hope that my book, along with the other World Book Day £1/€1.50 books, will encourage more children to become readers.”
Mark and Roxanne Hoyle (aka LadBaby) commented: “We are over the moon to be part of World Book Day 2024! Having the opportunity to not only follow in the footsteps of some of the world’s greatest children’s authors, but to be able to do so while offering Greg the Sausage Roll: Lunchbox Superhero to children feels like a dream come true!
As a family we are passionate and committed to helping make a difference to children across the UK, so we couldn’t be prouder of this moment. World Book Day supports so many children and young people across the UK and Ireland and does incredible work to help provide books for those who otherwise might not be able to afford one.
Knowing that a World Book Day £1/€1.50 book could be the first book many children own is heartbreaking and honestly one of the reasons we’re so passionate about World Book Day and supporting the charity’s commitment to improving access to books for all children.
As two dyslexic authors, we know first-hand the importance of encouraging reading and how it helps us all to discover different worlds and unlock our imaginations in such incredible ways. We truly hope that Greg and his super exciting school adventure can help kickstart many children to find joy from reading this World Book Day and beyond.”
Tọlá Okogwu adds: “Reading is such an enormous source of joy and pleasure and something I enjoy sharing with the many children I meet as well as my own. Each year, World Book Day opens up the world of stories and endless imagination to thousands of children who might otherwise not have such an opportunity. I am incredibly proud that Onyeka will be a part of that and I can’t wait to explore the other books in this year’s line-up with my own children.”
For more information, contact Bowe Communications at kate@bowecommunications.ie
About World Book Day | World Book Day changes lives through a love of books and reading. Our mission is to promote reading for pleasure, offering every child and young person the opportunity to have a book of their own. 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. We want to see more children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, with a life-long habit of reading for pleasure and the improved life chances this brings them. Designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, World Book Day is marked in over 100 countries around the globe. For more information about World Book Day Ireland 2024 visit www.worldbookday.com/about-us/ireland
About National Book Tokens | National Book Tokens are the perfect gift for book lovers everywhere and are the only gift cards sold and accepted in bookshops across the UK and Ireland, including all the major chains and Local independents. As proud sponsors of World Book Day, National Book Tokens supports lifelong learning and improving literacy and access to reading for everyone. For me more information visit www.nationalbooktokens.com
About Foras Na Gaeilge| Foras na Gaeilge is the body responsible for the promotion of the Irish language throughout the island of Ireland. Foras na Gaeilge is proud of its role in advising administrations, North and South, as well as public bodies and other groups in the private and voluntary sectors in all matters relating to the Irish language as well as the supportive projects it undertakes with grant-aiding bodies and groups throughout the island of Ireland.
About An Post | An Post is the state-owned provider of postal services in Ireland. An Post provides a “universal postal service” to all parts of the country as a member of the Universal Postal Union.
About Vision Ireland | Vision Ireland, Ireland’s national sight loss agency, mission is to transform the lives of people who are blind or vision impaired. We work with children and adults across the country with a range of programmes all designed to ensure the individual can live life confidently and independently.
For more information about World Book Day partners featured in the release please visit the following links:
