‘Read Your Way’ is message of the day as Mayo children encouraged to pick up a book

“World Book Day is a moment for every child to lose themselves in a story, whether they’re looking at pictures, reading a text as Gaeilge, reading braille or listening to an audiobook.”

That's the message from Elaina Ryan, CEO, Children’s Books Ireland, who launched this year’s World Book Day Ireland, taking place on Thursday, March 6.

World Book Day Ireland 2025 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 in Mayo through schools, online and in bookshops to redeem for 14 specially curated titles between February 13 and March 23.

An Post will also distribute 42,000 books to children in need across the country, with the support of Children’s Books Ireland, bringing the joy of reading to as many children as possible and ensuring that every child is involved in World Book Day. The books will be distributed to children in Irish hospitals, direct provision centres, homelessness services and Travelling communities.

‘Read Your Way’ is the theme for this year’s celebrations, inviting children age up to 12 years of age across Mayo to embrace the freedom of choosing what and how they read – be it a comic book, graphic novel, or an audiobook.

“It’s about taking the pressure out of reading and rediscovering the pure fun of it,” said Ms. Ryan. “We want children all over Mayo 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.”

Books from Irish publishers include Ag Buzzáil sa Ghairdín by Áine Ní Ghlinn, a delightful rhyming tale of Billí, the hardest-working bee in the garden, brought to life by Mr. Ando’s vibrant illustrations and published by An tSnáthaid Mhór, and Fox & Son Tailers by Paddy Donnelly, published by The O’Brien Press, a charming story of a clever young fox, working in his family’s shop creating tails for creatures tall and small, and challenging how things are done.

Cassie Chadderton, CEO, World Book Day, commented: “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.”

Debbie Byrne, MD of An Post Retail, added: “An Post have had a long-standing 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.”

Seán Ó Coinn, CEO, Foras na Gaeilge, stated: “Foras na Gaeilge 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 and 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.”

Irish-language books and resources are supported by Foras na Gaeilge and accessible copies are provided by Vision Ireland.

World Book Day 2025 will take place on Thursday, March 6. Discover the full range of €1.50/£1 World Book Day 2025 titles here.