World Book Day
We're proud sponsors of World Book Day®, the reading for fun charity.
Other ways we support reading
World Book Day champions the fun of reading, because it seriously improves lives.
Reading for fun is the single biggest indicator that a child will grow up to enjoy a happier and more successful life – more than their family circumstances, their parents’ educational backgrounds or their income.
But here's the challenge: it's at an all-time low, with only 1 in 3 children now saying they enjoy reading*. Children are more likely to read if they enjoy it, so together we're on a mission to encourage children to see reading as an entertaining, social and fun thing to do. Our sponsorship helps the charity to encourage more children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to grow up with a life-long, life-changing habit of reading for fun, and all the benefits this brings.
The charity promotes reading for fun by offering every child and young person the opportunity to have a book of their own. Every year they distribute more than 23.5 million £1/€1.50 book tokens across the UK and Ireland each year, and 1 in 4 children receiving Free School Meals say the book they 'bought' with their £1/€1.50 book token was the first book they had of their own.
The next World Book Day takes place on Thurday 4th March 2027.
*Source: National Literacy Trust, Annual Literacy Survey 2025
35% of children make more time to read as a result of World Book Day
Encouraging reading for pleasure
World Book Day encourages children to discover reading on their own terms, and adults to let go of pressure and expectations to give children a choice – and a chance – to enjoy reading.
The charity supports children to read for fun by encouraging 6 behaviours:
1. Being read to regularly
2. Having books at home and school
3. Finding time to read
4. Having trusted help to find a book
5. Giving children a choice in what to read
6. Making reading FUN!
1 in 4 pupils receiving Free School Meals said the £1 book they 'bought' with their £1 book token was the first book of their own
Design a National Book Token 2026
To celebrate World Book Day and the UK's National Year of Reading, we invited children of all ages to design a National Book Token for our annual competition. This year's winners in each age category were selected by three very special guest judges: bestselling authors and illustrators Paddy Donnelly, Nadia Shireen and Sonia Leong! One standout overall winner was chosen by the National Book Tokens team.
The National Year of Reading theme, Go All In, is all about diving deeper into the things you already love through reading. Whether you're passionate about football, animals, space, fashion, gaming, history, music or making people laugh, books can bring your interests to life in exciting new ways.
We challenged children across the UK and Ireland to create a bold, eye-catching gift card design that celebrates their interests and shows how books help them explore ideas, spark imagination and go further through reading.
A huge congratulations goes to Esmé, age 11, from Cullen Primary School in Buckie, Scotland, who claimed the top prize. Alongside a treasure trove of National Book Tokens for herself, her school, and her class, Esme and her classmates will also enjoy a special trip to a local bookshop – where they can handpick plenty of brilliant new reads to dive into.
Commenting on Esmé's winning design, judge Nadia Shireen said, "This design caught my eye immediately because it's so lively and colourful. The drawing communicates the message to 'Go All In' really clearly... Very impressive skills!"
All of this year's winners have received book tokens galore for themselves and their schools. See the winning designs below... and find out what the judges had to say about them!
Up to 8 Years Winner
Benjamin, age 7, from Swindon
"I love this! What a perfect depiction of a book taking you into another dimension – which all good stories do! The colours and pattern used here really draw you in, as you follow the reader spiralling into a fantasy world. The energy is great. Aliens? Check! Flying unicorns? Check! What more could you want from a book token!"
Paddy Donnelly, judge
Up to 8 Years Runner-Up
Phoebe, age 8, from County Armagh
"I want to read like a pig! This design just made me giggle immediately. Such a funny, strong message. And I've never seen a happier looking pig. He looks like he wants to greedily devour some books, and I'm all for it!"
Paddy Donnelly, judge
9-12 Years & Overall Winner
Esmé, age 11, from Aberdeenshire
"Wow! This design caught my eye immediately because it's so lively and colourful. Using a black background is a really clever choice because it makes all the colours really pop! The drawing communicates the message to 'Go All In' really clearly. It can be quite hard to make lots of little images into a cohesive picture, but this young designer has really spaced everything out in a smart, considered way. Very impressive skills!"
Nadia Shireen, judge
9-12 Years Runner-Up
Arien, age 11, from Morar
"This design made me chuckle – I love the books as sea creatures and the wobbly pencil plant! It's a really creative drawing that clearly comes from an original thinker. It's full of wit and charm and I really connected to it."
Nadia Shireen, judge
13-16 Years Winner
Liliana, age 14, from Essex
"This caught my eye straight away with its mysterious, cool character and her piercing gaze as she ruffles through the magic-imbued pages of her book. It is well balanced around the book token logo and has a great slogan as part of the design. I was impressed by the high contrast between the foreground and background elements (which include detailed rows of books as well) and the sophisticated shading and colouring using darker shades and white ink for highlights and sparkles. I could definitely see this design being popular with teenagers."
Sonia Leong, judge
13-16 Years Runner-Up
Meghan, age 13, from Derbyshire
"Who wouldn't be charmed by this utterly adorable scene of hedgehogs in a quaint village scene enjoying their books? It's a great design that works well from a distance with large characters in the foreground and poses that are easy to parse (the hedgehog with the green beanie and green book is my favourite), but if you look closer, there is so much detail to enjoy, from the textures in the wood and bricks, through to the tiny hedgehog at the back on a ladder painting a border around the National Book Tokens logo! A lovable design with broad appeal."
Sonia Leong, judge
Prizes
OVERALL WINNER (chosen from the three first prize winners):
- a £10/€12 National Book Token for every child in their class, featuring their winning design – plus the opportunity to visit a bookshop, in person or virtually, to support them in choosing which books to buy with their prizes!
FIRST PRIZE in each age range wins:
- £350/€400 National Book Tokens for the school
- £100/€115 National Book Tokens for the pupil
SECOND PRIZE in each age range wins:
- £200/€230 National Book Tokens for the school
- £50/€60 National Book Tokens for the pupil
Meet the guest judges!
Paddy Donnelly (Up to 8 Years)
Paddy Donnelly is a bestselling, award-winning author and illustrator from Ireland who now lives in Belgium. Not only was his popular book, Fox and Son Tailers, chosen as one of the official books for World Book Day 2025, Paddy is also the illustrator of one of the official 2026 books, Rose Ayling-Ellis's The Big Bang! In 2025, he illustrated a National Book Token inspired by his charming picture book, Badger Books; the gift card is a delightful celebration of the magic of bookshops.
Nadia Shireen (9-12 Years)
Nadia Shireen is an Official Ambassador for the National Year of Reading 2026. She has won awards for her picture books, including the UKLA Book Award for Good Little Wolf and Barbara Throws a Wobbler, which has been described as a 'little doorway of joy' by Caitlin Moran. Grimwood is her first series for older readers, and also features on a brilliantly bonkers National Book Tokens gift card! The latest book in the series, Grimwood: Rock the Vote! is out in paperback this February.
Sonia Leong (13-16 Years)
Sonia Leong is a comic book and manga artist, and author of popular drawing guides, including Draw Manga: Complete Skills and Beginning Manga. Her award-winning debut graphic novel was Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet. She also illustrates for children's books, fashion, advertising, film and television, appearing on CBBC's Britain's Best Young Artist as a judge. In 2025, she designed the exclusive Manga Heroes gift card for National Book Tokens; packed with dynamic energy and irresistible characters, it's the perfect gift for manga fans everywhere!
Find out more about the illustrators
World Book Day® is a registered charity, company and trademark.
Continue the World Book Day celebrations
This year, World Book Day celebrated Going All In as part of the National Year of Reading, bringing reading for fun to life for children across the UK and Ireland.
Liz and Julia from Next Page Books recommend
Booksellers from Hitchin answer your questions about the best reads for kids.
Read now
What to read after Harry Potter
Discover even more fantasy books for kids that will keep the magic alive long after they've left Hogwarts.
Read now
12 must-read Irish-language children's books
Discover brilliant books for children of all ages from the2026 Léigh Leabhar Gaeilge reading guide, and give Gaeilge a go!
Read now
40 of the best new children's books in 2026
The most exciting fiction and non-fiction young readers can discover in bookshops throughout the National Year of Reading.
Read now
Making reading accessible
Ollie George Clark, author of Youngest Faircrest and the Search for a Sorcerer, on how books can be made accessible for young readers.
Read moreWhy National Book Tokens are perfect for young readers
We know that having a choice in what to read – and trusted help to find a book – are key to helping children enjoy reading. That's one reason why National Book Tokens make a great for young readers: they can choose the books they're excited about, from local bookshops whose expert children's booksellers on hand to offer brilliant book recommendations.
Discover our gift cards in a variety of fun and bright designs in your local bookshop and online.
We're proud to support the National Year of Reading
If you're into it... read into it! In 2026, every adult, young person and child are invited to Go All In – to discover how reading can make the things you already love even richer.
Gift cards
Give a gift beyond words
Give recipients of all ages the excitement of choosing a book as well as the joy of reading it.
About us
Thank you for helping us support reading for all!
By choosing National Book Tokens, you're supporting our work with literacy charities and prizes.
Discover
Discover brilliant books for children
Browse book recommendations, activities and quizzes for young readers, plus win exciting prizes!
