Accessible book giveaways and sustainability to feature at World Book Day celebrations

Publishers and literary organisations across the UK are celebrating World Book Day on 3rd March with a variety of innovative schemes, including giving away audio and braille editions of children’s books to those with loss of sight, and organising sustainability-themed events in local schools. 

The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is donating thousands of accessible books by authors including Nathan Byron and Dapo Adeola, Rashmi Sirdeshpande, Michael Morpurgo and Nadia Shireen. They will be available to order until 31st March, through the RNIB’s website, or via its landline on 0303 123 9999. 

“RNIB is proud to support the 25th anniversary of World Book Day, which is a great way to encourage children, and adults to read," James Bartlett, reading services manager, said. "The braille and audio versions of these books ensure that blind and partially sighted people have the option to access stories just like any other person. Inclusivity is important so people with different backgrounds and disabilities can join in on the fun and celebrate World Book Day together.”

Cambridge University Press & Assessment has organised a sustainability-themed community event with local schools to celebrate the day. Students from three local state schools will be invited to the press’ Cambridge headquarters, where they will take part in two activities and meet colleagues from across the organisation.

Students attending will have the opportunity to create a marketing plan for There is No Planet B by Mike Berners-Lee. They will also plan a presentation for their head teacher and board of governors on bringing about change in their school in relation to a green theme, linking the development of a ’green’ curriculum to OCR, the press’ UK exam board. 

Head of community engagement at the publishing house Heidi Mulvey said: “It’s always such a pleasure seeing students’ confidence grow across the day. Increasingly, sustainability is an integral part of everything we do, and these two environmentally-themed activities reflect that. Having a taster of the kinds of work we do and talking to so many people about their varied and often zigzag routes in, is both reassuring and inspiring. We really hope it will encourage students to consider publishing and assessment in future.”

Meanwhile, character brand business Novel Entertainment is teaming up with Rubies Masquerade UK, a costume designer and manufacturer, to launch a Horrid Henry promotional activity. The initiative will see an exclusive offer for 250 fans to receive a free copy of a specially created comic-style book, Horrid Henry’s Vile Vacation, which they will receive after purchasing a Horrid Henry dress-up costume.

Elsewhere, independent online children’s bookseller Books2Door is donating 18,000 books to charities, libraries, schools and hospitals across the UK in celebration of the day. The company, founded by Sweet Cherry Publishing m.d. Abdul Thadha, will be partnering with organisations including the Children’s Literacy Charity, Alder Hey Children’s Charity and several primary schools and regional libraries to distribute the books. Leicester-based Sweet Cherry will provide the books.

Bookshops are also preparing their displays and selling hundreds of copies of this year’s designated £1 titles ahead of the event, flooding last week’s children’s charts and the Top 50.