Celebrity authors join World Book Day party

Celebrity authors including “Great British Bake Off” champion Nadiya Hussain, broadcaster and writer Clare Balding OBE, musician and author Tom Fletcher and comedian Julian Clary, are penning titles for next year’s World Book Day (WBD) offering.

Hussain’s Nadiya’s Bake Me a Story, illustrated by Clair Rossiter (Hodder Children’s Books), will be available for younger readers. Balding’s The Girl Who Thought She Was a Dog, illustrated by Tony Ross (Puffin), will be available for middle grade readers, alongside Brain Freeze by Fletcher (Puffin), which is illustrated by Shane Devries, and The Bolds’ Great Adventure from Clary and illustrator David Roberts (Andersen Press).

Joining them on the line-up are: The Baby Brother From Outer Space! written by Pamela Butchart and illustrated by Thomas Flintham (Nosy Crow); Terry’s Dumb Dot Story: A Treehouse Tale by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton (Macmillan); and Oi Goat! by Kes Grey and Jim Field (Hodder Children’s Books). Field is also the 2018 official WBD illustrator. Completing the list will be releases from brands Marvel’s The Avengers, Mr Men and Paddington. Rugby Roar by sports journalist Gerard Siggins (O’Brien Press) will also be available in Ireland.

The theme of WBD 2018 is Share a Story, encouraging adults, parents and older siblings to participate by reading and sharing stories. Alongside activity on WBD itself, there will be The Biggest Book Show on Earth national tour of author and illustrator events and the World Book Day Award will run for a fourth year.  New initiatives to engage young adults online and in bookshops are being developed as part of this year’s programme, with more details to come. 

WBD also announced that author Cressida Cowell and Steve Thompson, UK co-managing director of Scholastic, are joining its line-up of trustees this year.

World Book Day director Kirsten Grant says it is imperative the organisation represents its audience in its books and activity.