Share a story on World Book Day 2021

Share a story on World Book Day 2021

Feb 25, 2021

The Books Council of Wales is encouraging people across Wales to share a story in celebration of World Book Day 2021 on Thursday 4 March.

Sharing a story could include reading at home with the family, sharing a story with your pet, reading in your favourite place, reading in an unusual location and more!

With only a week to go before the big day, the Books Council is also asking people to share their reading photos on social media during March, using the hashtags #ShareAStory #WorldBookDayWales. Prizes for the best pictures will be awarded at the end of the month.

The winners of a special competition organised jointly by the Books Council and Huw Aaron will also be announced on 4 March on BBC Radio Cymru’s Aled Hughes programme between 9 and 11 a.m.

The challenge for contestants was to identify as many characters as possible from Welsh children’s books and television programmes in a colourful poster designed by Huw Aaron for his book Ble mae Boc? Ar goll yn y chwedlau, published by Y Lolfa in November 2020.

Meet the Authors

World Book Day celebrations look very different this year with a number of author sessions happening in a virtual way. The past year has shown the need for flexibility and also the value of having quality material to promote reading in a digital format. To help inspire young people to pick up a book and read for pleasure, the first in a series of videos with some of Wales’ leading children’s authors will be released on the Books Council’s website and social media channels on 4 March, featuring short readings as well as activities.

The main aim of these resources is to support families and schools whilst they are distance learning but they will also be a valuable resource for classroom use once schools re-open for all ages.

The authors include Huw Aaron, Lund Aaron, Myrddin ap Dafydd, Huw Davies, Nicola Davies, Malachy Doyle, Valériane Leblond, Lucy Owen and Manon Steffan Ros. More videos featuring authors from Wales will be published over the coming months.

Books and writing from Wales will also be showcased on the cultural digital platfform AM on World Book Day.

Helgard Krause, Chief Executive of the Books Council of Wales, said: “World Book Day is an opportunity for us to celebrate our love of books but the transformative power of reading is with us all year round. Although we may not be able to hold our usual events this year, the message is the same – that reading for pleasure does us all a world of good, in these difficult times perhaps more than ever. So celebrate with us by sharing a story on the 4th of March as a family, with friends from afar, or even your cat or dog!”

Angharad Sinclair, Project Manager in the Books Council’s Department of Children’s Books and Reading Promotion, added: “Reading can open the door on new worlds and experiences, and we are delighted to be able to offer a great range of £1 books once again this year ensuring that a choice of Welsh-language books is available alongside the English. Research shows that spending 10 minutes a day reading with a child makes a big difference to their future success and the aim of this special day is to ensure that all children have access to the world of books and the benefits they bring.”

£1 Book Token

World Book Day is now celebrated in 100 countries across the world and aims to promote reading for pleasure, offering all children and young people the opportunity to have their own book.

As part of the annual event, children in the UK and Ireland receive a £1 book token which they can either exchange for one of the £1 World Book Day books or use towards buying another book.

Ha Ha Cnec! Jôcs Twp a Twpach (Broga) by Huw Aaron is the brand new £1 Welsh-language book for World Book Day 2021 and is available now through bookshops across Wales.  

Three other Welsh-language books are available for £1 this year namely Stori Cymru – Iaith a Gwaith (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch) by Myrddin ap Dafydd, Na, Nel!  (Y Lolfa) by Meleri Wyn James, and Darllen gyda Cyw (Y Lolfa) by Anni Llŷn.

The World Book Day £1 books are a gift from booksellers, who fully fund the cost of the £1 book token redemptions. The £1 books are also available in braille, large print & audio via Guide Dogs and RNIB. 

World Book Day book tokens are valid from Thursday 18 February – Sunday 28 March 2021 but participating booksellers will honour the tokens beyond the 28 March while stocks last. Please contact your local bookseller to check if they are able to offer £1 off other titles. Read the full terms and conditions here. 

While bookshop doors are temporarily closed, they are still open for business online and over the phone offering a click-and-collect or mail delivery service. Details of all independent bookshops in Wales can be found on the Books Council’s website.

Further information

  • The World Book Day campaign in Wales is coordinated by the Books Council of Wales and supported by the Welsh Government and Waterstones.
  • Every year, with a host of publishers and booksellers, World Book Day curates a list of bespoke £1 books for children and young people across the UK and Ireland.
  • World Book Day’s mission is to encourage children and young people to explore the pleasures of books and reading by providing them with the opportunity to have a book of their own.
Copyright permissions temporarily increased to support schools during lockdown 

Copyright permissions temporarily increased to support schools during lockdown 

Feb 17, 2021

Copyright permissions on re-using published material in schools and colleges have been temporarily increased during lockdown, following efforts by the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA), the Books Council of Wales and the publishing industry.

The CLA announced on 9 February 2021 that, following consultation with their members, there will be a temporary increase in the copying limit in the Education Licence from the current 5% to 20% until 31 March 2021.

And the Books Council of Wales has made special arrangements with some of the country’s main publishers to make it easier for teachers to use their material during the Covid-19 pandemic.

CLA Education Licence

The temporary changes to the terms of the Licence mean that teachers can copy up to 20% of a print book, owned by the school, including scanned book content held on the school VLE. 


The move, which applies to schools, sixth form and further education colleges in the UK, will give teachers and students more flexibility to access resources to support remote learning while schools are closed.

Education Platform users will also be able to copy up to 20% of a digital book available on the CLA’s Platform during this period.

Licensed schools should read the full conditions on the CLA website. The CLA has also published guidelines for teachers explaining their copying rights under the standard terms of the Education Licence.

All Local Education Authorities in Wales are currently registered with the CLA which means that the terms of the Licence are applicable to all their schools.

Publishers’ Permissions in Wales

The Books Council of Wales has also agreed special temporary permissions with a number of publishers in Wales for re-using published material in schools during the pandemic.

The aim is to make it easier for teachers to use content from books to support remote learning, including for example their ability to record and share book readings with pupils.

The terms and conditions of use vary from publisher to publisher, and full details of the temporary permissions agreed in Wales are available on the Books Council’s website.

Helen Jones, Head of Children’s Books and Reading Promotion at the Books Council of Wales, said: “This is a challenging time for everyone, and schools in particular who continue to offer a quality education at a time when most pupils are learning from home. In today’s exceptional circumstances, we welcome the CLA’s announcement that copyright permissions are being increased to support educators through the latest lockdown. We are also very grateful to the publishers in Wales for their ready cooperation and support for children’s education, during what is also a difficult time for them as commercial enterprises.”

Iechyd Da books scheme to support children’s health and well-being

Iechyd Da books scheme to support children’s health and well-being

Feb 3, 2021

The Welsh Government’s Education Minister has launched a new scheme to ensure that all primary schools receive a special pack of books supporting children’s health and well-being.

The Iechyd Da (‘Good Health’) scheme was launched on Wednesday 3 February 2021 during Children’s Mental Health Week.

Working with the Books Council of Wales, the Welsh Government’s Education Department is funding a package of 41 books for every primary school, to help children understand and discuss issues around health and wellbeing.

Every book has been chosen by a panel of experts, and the selection includes both picture books and chapter books suitable for a range of ages between 4 – 11.

The aim is to support schools in dealing with health and well-being topics as part of the new curriculum, and to help teachers discuss these subjects during extremely challenging times.

Officially launching the Iechyd Da scheme, Education Minister Kirsty Williams said: “I am delighted to be involved in the launch of the Books Council of Wales’ Iechyd Da project. The Iechyd Da project aims to help address the impact of long-term social distancing and self-isolation, in providing reading books that stimulate conversations and parental engagement on these themes.

“Making sure that all children and young people can share a love of reading is an important part of the work that I do as Minister for Education and I would like to thank the Books Council of Wales for its hard work in developing an interesting series of resources to support teachers and learners in response to the pandemic.” 

In addition to the pack of 41  books, schools will be provided with a comprehensive set of resources with all the material prepared by a network of teachers specialising in children’s literacy, health and wellbeing.

Additional digital resources will also be available on the Welsh Government’s education platform, HWB, during the Spring term. 

Catrin Passmore, Deputy Head at Ysgol Gymraeg Cwmbrân school, said: “These books have been carefully selected and will be an excellent resource in terms of helping pupils to understand themselves, to understand others and to understand the world they live in. The themes in the books include friendship, resilience, self belief, mental health and physical health, and these all very relevant to what we’re going through today.”

Helgard Krause, Chief Executive of the Books Council of Wales, said: “We know how beneficial reading can be in terms of our wellbeing and mental health, and this scheme will help to open the door to conversations with children about quite difficult topics. It’s always important to encourage understanding and conversations like this but now more than ever, and we are delighted to be working with the Welsh Government’s Education Department to make this important project a reality.”

There’s a list of the Welsh and English books included in the Iechyd Da pack on the Books Council’s website and all of the titles are available through local bookshops. Some of the titles are also available as e-books on ffolio.wales.

READING WELL

The Books Council is also involved in the Reading Well Books on Prescription for children scheme which helps children and young people to understand and manage their mental health and wellbeing through reading.

Aimed at Key Stage 2 children, the scheme includes 21 volumes in Welsh and 33 in English which discuss topics such as anxiety and grief, bullying and web safety, and how to deal with events in the news.

Books on the list can be recommended by health and social care professionals, teachers and anyone else working with children and families.

The Reading Well Books on Prescription programme for children has been developed by health professionals as well as children and their families. It’s delivered in Wales by The Reading Agency in partnership with the Welsh Government, public libraries and the Books Council of Wales.