'Read Your Way' on World Book Day 2025
''World Book Day is a moment for every child to enjoy a story, whether they’re looking at pictures, reading a text as Gaeilge, reading braille or listening to an audiobook."
That’s according to our CEO Elaina Ryan, who today launched this year’s World Book Day Ireland, taking place on Thursday, 6th March!
This year, the annual celebration of books and reading in Ireland is sponsored by National Book Tokens and delivered by An Post, in partnership with Children’s Books Ireland. To celebrate, €1.50 book tokens will be made available to children and families through schools, online and in bookshops to redeem for 14 specially curated titles between 13th February and 23rd March.
With the support of Children’s Books Ireland, An Post will distribute an additional 42,000 free books this year, bringing the joy of reading to as many children as possible and ensuring that every child is involved in the World Book Day celebrations. These World Book Day books will be distributed to children in Irish hospitals, direct provision centres, homelessness services and Travelling communities to enjoy in time for the annual day!
"World Book Day is about taking the pressure out of reading and rediscovering the pure fun of it! We want children all over Ireland to take a moment to pick up a book or visit their local bookshop with their €1.50 book token, and escape into a brilliant book." - Elaina Ryan, CEO Children's Books Ireland
‘Read Your Way’ is a key theme of World Book Day inviting children age 0-12 across Ireland to embrace the freedom of choosing what and how they read – be it a comic book, graphic novel, or an audiobook.
Speaking on this year's launch, Cassie Chadderton, CEO, World Book Day said:
"World Book Day is encouraging children to Read Their Way, because when children have the freedom to explore reading and books on their own terms, many more will benefit from the well-being, educational and other benefits that reading for pleasure brings."
With Irish-language books and resources supported by Foras na Gaeilge and accessible copies provided by Vision Ireland, World Book Day Ireland helps every child to get involved on the annual day of reading.
In praise of this year's World Book Day launch, Seán Ó Coinn, CEO, Foras na Gaeilge said:
"We are delighted to be supporting World Book Day Ireland 2025 with the inclusion of an Irish-language book for the fourth year in a row. We know that children and families will be ‘buzzing’ to read Áine Ní Ghlinn’s wonderful ‘Ag Buzzáil sa Ghairdín’, published by An tSnáthaid Mhór, which will also be available in braille & digital formats, thanks to our friends at Vision Ireland.
Once again, the Irish language will be at the heart of the campaign in Ireland, featuring lots of Irish-language resources and audiobooks on the World Book Day website and across social media channels. The demand for the Irish-language World Book Day title is increasing year-on-year, which is reflective of the quality and choice of Irish-language books available for young readers today. We hope that more children and families will be inspired to find their favourite Irish-language story by visiting www.loveleabhargaeilge.ie as a result of World Book Day 2025 in Ireland."
Ag Buzzáil sa Ghairdín by Áine Ní Ghlinn, illustrated by Mr Ando (Andrew Whitson) and published by An tSnáthaid Mhór
Bíonn Billí Beach ag obair go dian sa ghairdín. Bíonn Billí ag obair ó mhaidín go hoíche!
Follow Billí’s magical working day gathering nectar from all the beautiful flowers in the garden. This rhyming story of Billí, the hardest-working bee in the garden, is a tale that will delight all eco warriors, big and small.
Fox & Son Tailers by Paddy Donnelly, published by The O’Brien Press
Rory’s dad, Fox, is a tailer. The BEST in the business! Animals come from all over to have their tails made by him. Rory helps in the shop and one of his jobs is measuring the customers for the tails – which isn’t always easy! But Rory is bored of making the same old tails. He has his own amazing ideas…
Speaking on this year's partnership Debbie Byrne, Managing Director of An Post Retail said: "An Post have had a longstanding commitment to promoting reading and improving literacy rates in Ireland. We believe that reading and writing is the foundation to unlocking life’s opportunities and enabling everyone to reach their potential. We are delighted to be the official delivery partner for World Book Day in Ireland, delivering over 42,000 books to children in need across the country. By ensuring free access to books, we are helping to unlock imaginations, support learning, and create a brighter future for every child, no matter their circumstances."
