This week we’re celebrating World Book Day 2021!

Reading books together.

It’s a wonderful way for your child to escape the humdrum of lockdown! 

By spending just ten minutes a day sharing a book, you can make a huge difference! 

 When you share a story, you are helping your child to:

• Understand the world

• Be imaginative and creative

• Develop thinking skills and emotional intelligence

• Grow in confidence

• Build special memories 

• Improve at learning

Below you will find a daily selection of stories, fun book-related activities, and inspiring videos from popular children’s book authors and illustrators. All of these activities are practical, or can be completed without a printer- just use a plain sheet of paper and a pencil to save on ink!

We are also running our very own school-based competition this week. We have some wonderful books as prizes, so scroll down to the bottom of this page to discover how your child can enter!

MONDAY: MAKE A READING DEN

Watch this video for some inspiration on how you can create a special reading space with your child. Collect what you’ll need, build your reading den, then take a photo of your child reading their favourite book inside. Please share your photo with your class teacher via Seesaw.

TUESDAY:  MAX AND THE WON’T GO TO BED SHOW BY MARK SPERRING

Listen to the story together. Then complete the follow-up book activity.

WEDNESDAY: Author and Illustrator Academy: LYDIA MONKS

 Now have a go at one of the following activities:

ACTIVITY ONE: YOUR FAVOURITE ANIMAL

In the video, Lydia talks about how she takes inspiration from real life animals to draw pictures. She talks about making initial sketches and gradually using them to create the final images in her picture books.

• Imagine yourself as your favourite animal – it could be a pet, a wild animal, an insect or a bird!

• Walk around the room for five minutes, moving in ways that you think represents the animal that you have chosen. After five minutes, show everyone the movements you have chosen for your animal.

• Draw your favourite animal.

ACTIVITY TWO: CREATIVE CHALLENGE

Create your own picture book theatre! 

• You can use old shoeboxes or pieces of cardboard, like Lydia does in the video, to bring your picture-book scene to life.

• It can be any scene, from any book. 

• Once you’ve made the theatre, play out what happens in the story. Can you make props and use sound effects? 

THURSDAY: WORLD BOOK DAY LIVE EVENT AT 10.30 a.m

Simply click on the picture above on Thursday morning to visit the event.

Don't worry if you miss the live broadcast, as a recording will be made available after the event.

Use the templates below to make some bookmarks, or create your own on paper or card.

FRIDAY: THE HUEYS BY OLIVER JEFFERS

Listen to the story together. Then complete the follow-up book activity. The author and illustrator Oliver Jeffers grew up in Belfast. You probably know some of his picture books already. In the bonus video below, you can watch how he draws the characters.

COMPETITION

There are so many ways that you can share a story at home during lockdown. We'd like you to show us a photograph of how you can spend some special time sharing a book... here are some ideas!

Read to a pet

Read to a favourite toy

Read in your book nook or den with a parent

Read to a sister/brother

Read dressed as your favourite book character

Read to someone special far away (on a video call)

Read in the garden/socially distanced in the park

Send your photograph to your class teacher by Friday 5th March. Everyone who takes part will be entered into a prize draw within their class, to win a book up to the value of £10!