World Book Day is an annual celebration of reading and an opportunity to encourage children to explore and rediscover the pleasure of books by providing each child throughout the UK and Ireland with a book of their own.
The 15 books included on the World Book Day £1 book list for 2026 have been revealed, which this year includes authors Jamie Smart, Rose Ayling-Ellis and Hannah Gold. World Book Day will take place on Thursday 5th March 2026 and the books on the list will be available to children for free, in exchange for their £1/€1.50 token. Children were involved in selecting the titles and the books will appeal to all readers, from beginners to teens.
The initiative is supported by long-term sponsor National Book Tokens, and works alongside publishers and booksellers to promote the books and improve access. According to WBD, almost one million children in the UK don’t own a book, and there has been a 36% decrease in reading enjoyment since 2005. A quarter of children receiving free school meals said that the book they ‘bought’ with their World Book Day token was the first book of their own.
Fiona Hickley, Interim CEO of World Book Day, said: “World Book Day exists to help children find their own joy in reading. When children have the freedom to explore books and all forms of reading in a way that suits them, that’s when they gain the well-documented wellbeing, educational and life-chance advantages of reading for fun. Our research shows children avoid reading when pressured, so at World Book Day we seek to appeal to children with our wonderful selection of £1/€1.50 books that are meticulously chosen to offer exciting options across popular interests and reading levels. Our aim is to ensure every child can discover their own kind of fun in the books.”
World Book Day’s 2026 £1/€1.50 books are:
Beginning Readers
The Big Bang by Rose Ayling-Ellis, written in collaboration with Katie Blackburn and illustrated by Paddy Donnelly
Early Readers
Funny FACTopia! – Follow the Trail of 100 Wacky Facts by Christopher Lloyd and Kate Olesin, illustrated by Andy Smith
Pablo and Splash: The Castle Quest by Sheena Dempsey
Pia’s Pet Club: Iguana Escape by Serena Patel, illustrated by Emma McCann
Unicorn Academy: My Secret Unicorn Diary
Fluent Readers
Bear Rescue by Hannah Gold, illustrated by Levi Pinfold
Unbelievable Football: The Most Amazing World Cup Stories You Never Knew by Matt Oldfield, illustrated by Ollie Mann
Bunny vs Monkey: Total Chaos! by Jamie Smart
Skandar and the Secret Element by A.F. Steadman
Chaos at the Chocolate Factory by Sibéal Pounder and illustrated by Emily Jones
Independent Readers
Against All Odds by Nathanael Lessore
Beginning Readers (Ireland)
Rita agus an tEachtrán by Máire Zepf, illustrated by Mr Ando
Fluent Readers (Ireland)
The Doomsday Club: Shape-Shifters by Kevin Moran
Wales
Un i Ti ac Un i Fi by Aneirin Karadog, illustrated by Matt Abbott
For more World Book Day ideas, browse our related content
12 Simple World Book Day Dress Up Ideas from Top Costume Designer Jackie Trousdale
Celebrate World Book Day 2026: Exciting and Creative alternatives to dressing up
Comments (0)
Leave A Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.