In the run up to World Book Day 2020 (Thursday 5 March), the charity behind the biggest celebration of books and reading is launching a bigger-than-ever story-sharing campaign, calling on the nation to get involved in a mass super-share and SHARE A MILLION STORIES.
With research showing that reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator for success in life, (more than family circumstances, educational background, or income), this campaign aims to get the nation reading for pleasure from breakfast to bedtime and share a story together every day.
The super share will take place during World Book Day Week and aims to spread the love of books and reading for pleasure in schools, libraries, bookshops, at home, everywhere and anywhere. Here’s a quick Q&A with the people behind the campaign:
What is a Story Share?
Sharing a story is being read to or reading with an adult, sibling, friend (or even a pet), anyone! All reading (for a minimum of ten minutes) counts as a story share, from picture books to audiobooks to comics and graphic novels. This can take place at any time throughout the day, from breakfast until bedtime – at the breakfast table, on the bus, in the bath, or in bed.
A story share is reading with children for at least 10 minutes, and if you have a group of 10, 20 or 100 children, that’s 10, 20 or 100 story shares to add to the nationwide total.
Who can take part?
Anyone can participate in the campaign: families, schools, bookshops and libraries, nurseries, etc. Once registered at worldbookday.com/share-a-million-stories participants are able to find out everything they need to know including guidelines, FAQs, story-sharing tips and information on what counts as a story share.
Are there prizes to be won?
Of course there are! Each week, from 27 February – 29 March, families, classrooms, nurseries, libraries and bookshops who are sharing stories and logging them on the World Book Day website, could win a host of amazing prizes, including £1,000 worth of books, £100 of National Book Tokens or an exclusive signed Rob Biddulph print.
Can we see our progress?
Yes, the national total of stories shared will be visualised on the World Book Day Share-o-meter, designed by official World Book Day illustrator Rob Biddulph, online at worldbookday.com/share-a-million-stories
And in case you needed further persuasion, check out what these key World Book Day authors and illustrators say about story sharing:
Sue Hendra, creator of Supertato: Books are Rubbish!: ‘Without a love of reading, my head would be at least 50% emptier. Gone would be all the journeys and experiences, gone would be all the wonderful people I have met and all the fascinating places I have visited through books. Books help make me- Me! Thank you books.’
Laura Ellen Anderson, author of Amelia Fang and the Bookworm Gang: ‘Reading feeds the soul and the imagination. The inside of a book can introduce us to new friends, make us ask questions, make us laugh or make us cry. But most importantly, books allow us to BELIEVE. And I believe magic IS real. A book is a magical object because it is a whole entire world, an incredible adventure and an array of characters that YOU can hold in the palm of your hand and take with you wherever you go. Trust me, it doesn’t get much better than that.’
Robin Stevens, author of The Case of the Drowned Pearl: A Murder Most Unladylike Mini-Mystery: ‘Reading books helps kids unravel the mysteries of life, both big and small. Children are endlessly curious, and books can provide the answers they need to help them become kinder, smarter and more thoughtful – and to keep on asking difficult questions!’
Onjali Q. Raúf, author of The Day We Met the Queen: ‘The world would be such an awfully small place without books. Even with a million channels and distractions at our fingertips, there’s nothing quite like the feel and comfort of a book, or the excitement that comes with sharing a new literary adventure with loved ones. Whether it ’s reading alone and getting lost in a new dimension all by ourselves, or reading out loud, or better yet, being read out loud to, nothing can beat the feeling of reading a brilliant book solely for pleasure. It ’s a joy everyone deserves to share in, no matter how big or small we may be. The good news is, there are just about enough stories in the world to help us do just that!’
Register now to take part in @WorldBookDayUK’s mission to get the nation to Share A Million Stories: https://www.worldbookday.com/share-a-million-stories
For more information, join the conversation via: worldbookday.com | @WorldBookDayUK | #WorldBookDay | #ShareAStory
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Where next?
> Visit our Reading for Pleasure Hub
> Browse our Topic Booklists
> View our printable year group booklists.
> See our Books of the Month.
