World Book Day 2006 will take place on Thursday 2nd March
World Book Day was designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and was marked in over 30 countries around the globe last year. The origins of the day we now celebrate in the UK and Ireland come from Catalonia, where roses and books were given as gifts to loved ones on St. George’s Day – a tradition started some 80 years ago.
World Book Day is the biggest annual event supporting books and reading in the UK and Ireland and the emphasis for 2006 is celebration. Schools, libraries, bookshops and other venues will be encouraged to hold even more book-related events, activities and parties than in previous years! You can find out more at www.worldbookday.com.
In addition, and as part of World Book Day’s commitment to encouraging reading for pleasure, a new initiative − Quick Reads − will be implemented. This new initiative is designed to provide a choice of new books for people wishing to regain the reading habit or for those who experience difficulty reading. For more information on Quick Reads and to find out about World Book Day tokens for adults, visit the NIACE website.
