World Book Day 2022
Posted on: March 3rd 2022School News
Pupils at the Manchester Grammar School are taking part in World Book Day celebrations, which is especially important this year, as 2022 recognises its 25th anniversary. Designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, World Book Day is now marked in over 100 countries around the globe.
World Book Day was created by UNESCO in 1995 as a global celebration of books and reading. Highlighting the value of reading for pleasure in a fun, interactive way, it was celebrated in the UK for the first time in 1997.
Senior Librarian Nicola Heath commented on the significance of the anniversary: “World Book Day is now 25 years old, and did not exist when I was at school. Back then, the world of teen fiction was in its infancy, and whilst there was a great range of books to choose from on public and school library shelves, the breadth and depth of genres and authors was miniscule compared with today’s choices. In all of my school years, I do not remember there being a huge focus on reading; you were either a reader, or you were not, and little, if any, curriculum time was given over to reading for pleasure. Today, this is not the case.
"As a school librarian and parent of three, I have always felt it is wonderful that something as simple as reading for a few minutes each day can impact so heavily on the future of our children, and am delighted that the majority of schools in the UK, including MGS, now encourage pupils to read for pleasure, with reading lessons taking place in the school day. Extensive research has shown that reading for pleasure is a pertinent indicator of success in adult life, with as little as 10 minutes a day making difference. A 2021 NLT survey concluded that there are still more than 400,000 children (6%) in the UK who do not have, or own, a book at home. Therefore, £1 World Book Day vouchers are distributed annually to all children of pre-school age and above through their schools, nurseries and pre-schools, to give children the opportunity either to do just that, or to add to their book collection".
Nicola added: "Embracing the fun, interactive aspect of World Book Day celebrations, this year at MGS, we are encouraging all students to complete at least one of our ‘25 Years of World Book Day’ challenges, some of which only take a few minutes. These have been distributed to students via email by the library team, discussed in tutor time and English lessons, and we eagerly look forward to seeing their entries. Some of these include: “Shelfies” featuring your book shelf/shelves, reviews of your favourite book, and designs for a promotional World Book Day poster".
The Junior School pupils have also embraced World Book Day celebrations and arrived in school dressed as an array of favourite characters, as pictured below. Throughout the day, Junior School pupils have been taking part in challenges, singing MC Grammar’s World Book Day song and are spending the day celebrating their love of books. Our librarians have spoken to all pupils about the changes to our library and officially opened the World Book Day competition. They were also treated to an assembly from 5A about their favourite books and authors.
