If you’re ever in town in the morning or afternoon, you’ll see all the children going to and from Wymondham’s four primary schools and two high schools – all of them in some variety of grey uniform. But on Thursday 5 March the children – and a few of the adults – will wander our streets dressed as broom-riding wizards, tea-drinking tigers, cats wearing hats… If someone has written a book about it, there will be a child dressed as it.

It’s all part of World Book Day, the annual celebration of books and reading. (We think everyone should always dress as a favourite story character, and spend the day reading and talking about the books they enjoy!) As 2026 in the UK is a Year of Reading, we think it’s all the more reason for everyone to join in.

World Book Day gives every child an opportunity to select and buy a book of their own, regardless of their ability to pay.

The way it works is that children are given a voucher by their school or nursery. The child brings the voucher to the bookshop, where we have plenty of copies of this year’s ten titles, right near the door. There’s something for everyone, from facts to football, and from bears to dragons. After the child selects the book, they take it to the till, and we ring it up as we would any other book – and accept the child’s voucher as payment in full.

The experience of choosing a book yourself is a great first step toward learning to love reading. Children of all ages have to think about what they might enjoy, and imagine if they might be able to spend time with this book. Just standing in front of the display with the opportunity to choose a book to own will be a new experience for many – and we believe it’s an important part of making reading a joyful part of normal life.

(For adults, we have a terrific range of new £1 short books for adults interested in giving reading a go! And if dyslexia is a concern, have a chat with us – we have books to make reading easier.)

We are so lucky in Wymondham that all our schools are excellent at supporting reading. Let’s support that work: when you talk to children, whether on World Book Day or any other day, talk to them about what they’re reading, and the books you enjoy. Let’s make Wymondham a place where everyone loves their books.