World Book Day 2026 joins the National Year of Reading
World Book Day 2026 fell on Thursday 5 March, as part of the UK's National Year of Reading, with £1/€1.50 tokens valid from 12 February to 15 March.
World Book Day 2026 took place on Thursday 5 March. Children in the UK and Ireland received a £1 (€1.50) token that could be exchanged from 12 February to 15 March 2026 for one of the World Book Day books.
There were 12 titles available across the UK, exclusive titles for Ireland and a Welsh-language book, aimed at readers from beginners to independent readers. The charity also highlighted accessible editions in braille, large print and audio, produced with partners including RNIB, Guide Dogs, Vision Ireland and Calibre Audio.
This year the day formed part of the UK's National Year of Reading 2026, and World Book Day presented itself as a delivery partner of the campaign. It again pointed to its finding that half a million children in England do not own a book.
A national year of reading gives schools, libraries and bookshops a shared reason to push in the same direction for twelve months. World Book Day is the part of it that reaches almost every primary school. Whether the year leaves a lasting mark will depend on what happens after the tokens are spent, particularly in homes and areas where books are scarce.