World Book Day in the Year of Reading for Pleasure 2026

As Chair of the APPG on Publishing I was delighted to host the event held by the Publishers Association on Tuesday 3 March 2026 ahead of World Book day on 5 March: Here are some key facts about World Book Day:

• World Book Day makes reading feel entertaining. It gives children a sense of agency, choice and empowerment, making reading fun. Fun unlocks all the benefits reading brings!
• World Book Day reaches 12 million children in 46,500 schools and nurseries.
• World Book Day gives out 23.5 million £1 book tokens and gives out 2 million £1 books.
• World Book Day is the reading for fun charity, and champions the fun of reading because it improves lives.
• World Book Day is a key partner in the National Year of Reading, where we are working with many other charities and organisations to tackle the children’s reading crisis.
• On World Book Day we celebrate all kinds of reading – from comics to audiobooks – and focus on choice, relevance and enjoyment. Reading is encouraged that reflects children’s interests and passions, showing that every way of reading counts.
• World Book Day makes a tangible difference to people’s lives. 1 in 4 children receiving free school meals said their £1 World Book Day book was their first book. 43% of children say they now make more time to read because of World Book Day, and 48% find reading more fun because of World Book Day.

Key messages about the importance of reading for pleasure: 

Reading for  fun is the single biggest indicator that a child will grow up to enjoy a happier and more successful life – more than their family circumstances, their parents’ educational backgrounds or income.
• Reading for fun boosts children’s wellbeing and enhances their learning.
• Children reading for pleasure has many benefits. A child’s educational success is more closely linked to their tendence to read for pleasure than their socioeconomic background, and research demonstrates that there is a link between young people’s reading skill, learning and wellbeing.

I am pictured with Aoife O’Callaghan-White from the Publishers Association. 

This year is the Year of Reading for Pleasure and I would encourage everyone to pick up a book or more to just read for fun. 

Happy Reading