World Book Day reveals 2024 £1/€1.50 books to encourage the joy of reading
- Fifteen new £1/€1.50 books are announced for World Book Day 2024
- Authors and illustrators Kev Payne, Mari George, David McKee, Tọlá Okogwu and LadBaby are amongst those joining the World Book Day 2024 line-up
- In 2023, more than 50 million book tokens were distributed by World Book Day through schools, magazines and partnerships
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.
An exclusive title will be available for young readers in Wales. The Welsh Language book supported by the Books Council of Wales, will be Ffeithiau Ffiaidd: Y Corff written and illustrated by Kev Payne and adapted into Welsh by Mari George, which is published by Rily Publications.
The title will be joining 14 other titles from Rob Biddulph, Louie Stowell and Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé amongst others. Check out our full £1/€1.50 book line-up here.
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 the Books Council of Wales, BookTrust, National Literacy Trust, Publishers Association, and Booksellers Association.
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!”
BOOKS COUNCIL OF WALES QUOTE:
Helgard Krause, Chief Executive of the Books Council of Wales said: We’re delighted to be working in partnership with World Book Day, to make books available to children and to inspire a love of reading. Mari George’s wonderful adaptation of Ffeithiau Ffiaidd: Y Corff is sure to delight and revolt young readers in equal measure! Thank you too, to Rily Publications for their hard work in ensuring another high-quality title is available for young readers to enjoy in Welsh as part of the £1 book scheme.
Mari George commented:
“I’m so pleased that my adaptation of Ffeithiau Ffiaidd: Y Corffhas been chosen as the Welsh language book for World Book Day 2024. Hopefully it will inspire children to go on to read other books which is something I am passionate about.”
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.”
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 Books Council of Wales
Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru
Elusen genedlaethol sy’n cefnogi’r diwydiant cyhoeddi ac yn datblygu darllen yng Nghymru yw’r Cyngor Llyfrau. Rydym yn hyrwyddo llythrennedd a darllen er pleser drwy ystod o ymgyrchoedd, gweithgareddau a digwyddiadau ar hyd a lled Cymru, gan weithio’n aml mewn partneriaeth ag ysgolion, llyfrgelloedd a sefydliadau llenyddol eraill. Sefydlwyd y Cyngor yn Aberystwyth yn 1961 ac rydym yn gweithio gyda chyhoeddwyr i feithrin talent a chynnwys newydd yn Gymraeg a Saesneg, yn ogystal â chynnig gwasanaethau arbenigol megis golygu, dylunio, marchnata a dosbarthu. Rydym hefyd yn gweinyddu grantiau i gyhoeddwyr a llyfrwerthwyr annibynnol. Daw ein cyllid yn rhannol gan Lywodraeth Cymru drwy Gymru Greadigol a’r Grŵp Addysg, Cyfiawnder Cymdeithasol a’r Gymraeg; ac yn rhannol o weithgareddau masnachol a gwasanaeth cyfanwerthu llyfrau ein Canolfan Ddosbarthu.
Books Council of Wales
The Books Council of Wales is a national charity which supports and develops the publishing industry in Wales. We promote literacy and reading for pleasure through a range of public campaigns, activities and events across Wales, often working in partnership with schools, libraries and other literary organisations. Established in Aberystwyth in 1961, we work with publishers to nurture new talent and content in Welsh and English as well as offering specialist editing, design, marketing and distribution services. We also administer grants to publishers and independent booksellers. Our funding comes partly from Welsh Government through Creative Wales and the Education, Social Justice and Welsh Language Group; and partly from the commercial operations of our wholesale book Distribution Centre.
About Rily Publications
Rily Publications is a privately owned, family-run, award-winning, publishing house, created by husband and wife team Richard and Lynda Tunnicliffe. They started publishing Welsh language versions of popular books, such as the Roald Dahl range, as a hobby in 2001. Since then the company has greatly expanded and they have steadily grown their range of original children’s titles in both Welsh and English; some notably winning the prestigious Welsh Tir na n’Og awards. They cater to a wide range of readers; publishing books from birth to young adult and covering both fiction and non-fiction titles. Rily is well-known for publishing books to help people learn the Welsh language and they are advocates of bilingual children’s books. Rily’s motto is ‘To Publish High Quality and Innovative Books that Make Us Smile’ and their core values of sustainability, wellbeing, inclusivity, and creativity, shine through in all of their books.
For more information about World Book Day partners featured in the release please visit the following links:
- National Book Tokens
- Books Council of Wales
- BookTrust
- National Literacy Trust
- Publishers Association
- Booksellers Association
