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This year’s World Book Day will take place on Thursday 6 March 2025

The theme for this year’s WBD is Read Your Way. Research shows that for some children and young people, reading is something they have to do, rather than something they choose to do. WBD is all about encouraging children to discover the fun and enjoyment reading can bring. And Read Your Way is all about choosing to read whichever books you want to read in whatever way you want to read them!

We know that reading for pleasure improves children’s lives across a range of both well-being and educational measures, but only 1 in 3 children enjoy reading in their free time and nearly 1 million children in the UK don’t have a book of their own*

That’s why libraries play such an essential role in helping children to enjoy reading. Visit your local library between 13 February and 23 March 2025 and choose a brilliant book for free with your WBD £1.00 book token. Children can swap their tokens at Halewood, Huyton, Kirkby, Prescot and Stockbridge Village libraries.

You can see the great titles on offer this year and find out more about WBD here

*World BookDay website

This year’s Summer Reading Challenge gets started in Knowsley libraries on 6 July 2024 and it’s all about getting creative. It’s free to take part and all children are welcome.

There are two ways you can take part. You can join the SRC at your local library where you will receive a special collector’s pack on your first visit. Set a reading goal and read anything you like. Each time you finish a book, visit the library, and you will collect special stickers and rewards for reading your books.

Alternatively, you can take part in the SRC online by signing up here  Set a reading goal and log your books on your profile. Reach your goal and unlock a limited-edition online badge and a certificate.

So get ready for a reading adventure!

Teachers can find lots of resources and activities, plus a free information pack at The School Zone

Get your whole class reading!

Whole class reading can be a great way to develop reading skills, promote discussion and foster a love of books. So whether you are looking for a quick read, a more challenging text or an established favourite, we have some great new sets for you to share with your class.

For older readers we have the Final Year by Matt Goodfellow – an absolute must read for Y6 transition  – the Good Thieves by Katherine Rundell and Fly Me Home by Polly Ho-Yen. Plus, we have extra sets of  Who Let the Gods Out by Maz Evans, Varjak Paw by S.F. Said, the Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate De Camillo and Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White.

For younger readers we have the Giraffe, the Pelly and Me by Roald Dahl and Zombierella by Joseph Coehlo.

Happy reading!

You can borrow a class reader set each term as part of your Service Level Agreement with us. If your school does not have an SLA with us, you can borrow class reader sets on a trial basis at a cost of £30.00 per set per term.

Looking to encourage reading for pleasure? There’s nothing like a “real live” author visit to boost children’s reading and help facilitate book ownership.  Children who have had an author visit are more likely to enjoy reading and are twice as likely to read above the expected level for their age.

This year we had author Simon Phillip join us for World Book Day Week. Simon visited EYFS and KS1 children at Malvern, St. Aidan’s, Park Brow and St. Joseph the Worker Primary Schools. There was a “Meet the Author” session with Y1 and Y2 children, followed by a book reading/modelling session for Reception children and their parents. The children also had the opportunity to buy one of Simon’s books and have it signed on the day.

Watch this space for upcoming author events for your school.

We have added some great new author packs to our collection – available to borrow now!

For Foundation and Key Stage 1

We have a lovely selection of picture books by award winning author-illustrator Benji Davies including Grandad’s Island, the Storm Whale, Tad and the Snowflake. Plus, a collection from one of our favourite authors Emily Gravett  with classics such as Meerkat Mail, Wolf Won’t Bite, the Odd Egg and Too Much Stuff!  Plus, two great new collections from the ever-popular Nick Butterworth.

For Key Stage 1 and Lower Key Stage 2

There is a collection of more challenging picture books and non-fiction from acclaimed zoologist and writer Nicola Davies; including the Day War Came, Every Child a Song, King of the Sky and Ice Bear.

For Upper Key Stage 2

A great selection of books from local author Frank Cottrell Boyce including favourites such as Cosmic, the Unforgotten Coat, Sputnik’s Guide to Life on Earth and the Runaway Robot

We have also increased the number of packs by Quentin Blake, Anthony Browne, Eric Carle, Tracey Corderoy, Julia Donaldson, Mini Grey, Oliver Jeffers and David McKee.  So you now have lots more packs to choose from!

Download a copy of the latest Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) report here

We have pulled together a selection of online stories and learning activities to help you while you are learning at home. We will update this page each week, so keep checking for new things to do.

Online Stories

• You can find lots of lovely interactive books to read online at BookTrust
• Books for Topics have compiled a host of online story times for children to access freely from home. And what’s more they are all read aloud by their author or illustrator at Storytime Online
• Listen to Maz Evans, one of our favourite authors, talk about her new book VI SPY
• Read the first chapter of The Ghost Garden by Emma Carroll; another one of our favourite authors!
• Listen to online sessions from well known authors like Frank Cottrell Boyce as part of the Stratford Literary Festival Authors For Schools project
• Author Piers Torday will be hosting Lockdown Storytime every weekday at 2.30 p.m. on his YouTube channel.
• Head to BookTrust Home Time for lots of fun book related activities for the family to enjoy.
• Author S F Said will be hosting a live twitter chat every Tuesday from 2.00 – 3.00 p.m. use the hashtag #whatSFSaid You can also watch SF’s session from Barnes Childrens Literature Festival here
• Tune in every day to the National Literacy Trust Virtual School Library to hear a new instalment from their author of the week.
• The Bookwanderers Club  is back every other Friday at 10am and will feature three different author segments as well as a reading round up and a bookseller top tip.
• A Library Lady blog has updated her very comprehensive list of resources to help children enjoy books at home.

Learning Activities

• Learn at home with lessons by special guest teachers at Bitesize Daily  on BBC iPlayer
• Daily lessons will also be broadcast on CBBC and BBC2 from Monday 11th January. Find out more here
• The National Literacy Trust Words For Life page has lots of activities to help parents, children and young people improve their language, literacy and communication skills at home
• Parents, pupils and teachers can access free video lessons and resources at Oak National Academy
• The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) have a bank of free teaching resources available to download from their website
• CLPE also have a bank of author, illustrator and poetry videos ideal for home learning  
• Read the latest DFE guidance on remote education for teachers here

Wellbeing

• Keep children safe online with this free app from National Online Safety
• Join The Princess in Black in the fight against Coronavirus!  
• Listen to Winnie and Wilbur Stay at Home by Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul on YouTube
• You can find lots of easy art projects to try at home using materials from your recycling at ArtJumpStart
• Become a fake news detective and try out some fun activities with the NewsWise family resource pack
• Visit BBC Bitesize for some useful tips for parents on managing your own wellbeing during lockdown
• The National Literacy Trust has a range of free resources for parents and carers to support this year’s Children’s Mental Health Week on their website.
• BBC Teach also has a range of resources for primary and secondary teachers to support Children’s Mental Health Week

You can find more of our links listed here

October is Black History Month in the UK, an event which has been celebrated nationally for over 30 years.

Black History Month in the UK was originally founded to recognise the contributions that people of African and Caribbean backgrounds have made to the UK over many generations. Now, Black History Month has expanded to include the history of not just African and Caribbean people but black people in general.

We have pulled together some useful links to help you celebrate Black History Month throughout October and beyond;

CBeebies Newsround  page looks at the origins of Black History Month; the history of black people in the UK; the Black Lives Matter movement and British children’s experiences of racism in the UK today

You can find a video of Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech on the Culture Street website. Plus, a look at Nelson Mandela’s life in graphic novel format, links to the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool and lesson plans for the transatlantic slave trade.

This short article from BBC news looks at the unveiling of a stone commemorating Liverpool’s first black resident and Liverpool’s links to the transatlantic slave trade. 

National Archives has put together a virtual tour of six Liverpool landmarks with links to the slave trade.

This article from the Liverpool Echo looks at lifeguard James Clarke, the first black man to have a street named after him in Liverpool

The Core Knowledge website includes a teaching pack on the Abolition of Slavery for year 5 pupils

Booktrust have produced a reading list of historical stories from Black History around the world.

National Museums Liverpool explores stories, interviews and features on Liverpool’s Black community. They are also hosting a virtual classroom on understanding transatlantic slavery for KS3 students. There is a cost of £90 for this workshop.

Plus we have updated and expanded our own book collections to support teaching Black History Month in schools.

We will update this page throughout October with further links to useful resources.