March 4th is World Book Day 2021.
World Book Day believe that reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success – more than their family circumstances, their parents’ educational background or their income.
They encourage children to ‘explore the pleasures of books and reading by providing them with the opportunity to have a book of their own.’ In the UK millions of children receive a National Book Token to redeem against a free book or £1 off a book of their choice. Often this is the first book they own:
- 3 in 10 of children receiving free school meals say the book they receive with their WBD book token was the first book they had of their own (Source: National Literacy Trust).
- 3% children read more books, 46.1% share more books with family and friends, 42% buy more books as a result of World Book Day (Nielsen, Understanding the Children’s Book Consumer, 2019)
Reading is such a wonderful thing for young minds – opening up their imagination to a world of possibilities. Most of us have a favourite book from our childhood. It wasn’t hard for everyone here at Walker and Campbell to choose theirs!
- Tracy Leigh, Optometrist – Blue Kangaroo
- Natasha Carter, Dispensing Optician – Stick Man,
- Helen Aitkenhead, Optical Assistant – The Hungry Caterpillar
- Sharon Powell, Optical Assistant – The Gruffalo
According to the charity, spending just 10 minutes a day reading and sharing stories with children can make a crucial difference to their future success and be fun for all involved. But what if your child is struggling to read? What if they squint or hold the book they are reading very close to their face? It may be that they have a problem with their vision.
It’s so important to have your children’s eyes tested as eye problems are much easier to treat if they are picked up when your child’s vision is still developing. This is usually up to around seven or eight years of age.
Your health visitor will check your child’s eyes soon after they are born and again when they’re six weeks old. The next test should be when your child can recognise pictures, usually around the age of two. Then their eyes should be tested every year until they reach their teens.
So please don’t delay. Call today and make an appointment for your child. We’d love to see you.
Find out more about our children’s eye examinations here
About World Book Day
These are difficult times but World Book Day will still take place albeit in a slightly altered format with both printed and digital tokens distributed through schools and nurseries.
The token will also be on McDonald’s Happy Meal boxes throughout February and March, and in some children’s magazines. The tokens are valid from Thursday 18 February – Sunday 28 March 2021.
Children can swap the token for one of the 12 exclusive new and completely FREE World Book Day books. Or claim £1 off any full price book.
Did you know that the World Book Day £1 books are a gift from booksellers, who fully fund the cost of the £1 book token redemptions? With bookshops in lockdown they’re offering new ways to make the £1 books available, and looking forward to welcoming families back when they open again (the tokens will be honoured beyond 28 March – while stocks last.)
To find out more about World Book Day and this year’s book visit https://www.worldbookday.com/
To find your nearest World Book Day bookseller visit https://www.booksellers.org.uk/wbd