World Book Day

Reading for pleasure was royally celebrated on Thursday 2nd March, as over 750 school children from 20 schools across the region joined our Year 5 and 6 students at a special World Book Day event with the much-loved children’s author and World Book Day Trustee, Cressida Cowell. A packed Wolverhampton Grand Station was a sea of colour with costumes ranging from the BFG, Anne of Green Gables and Cruella de Vil to Willy Wonka, Where’s Wally and many more!

The How to Train Your Dragon author and Waterstones Children’s Laureate (2019-2022) Cressida Cowell spoke to the children about her latest children’s book Which Way to Anywhere, inspiring them to have the confidence to put their own stories down on paper and to read as much as possible for pleasure. In sharing her personal journey to becoming a best-selling author, Cressida excited the young audience with her tales of magical worlds and linked a love of reading to being successful in life, regardless of background.

As an ambassador for the National Literacy Trust, Cressida told us that for one in seven children, a World Book Day book is the first book they will own. At WGS we are so lucky to have the wonderful Mrs Rowley and Mr McAllister organising events and activities through the Jenyns Library but this is not the case nationally where only one in seven primary schools has their own library. It was therefore extra special to share our World Book Day celebrations at Grand Station and to see every child gifted a signed, hard-back copy of Cressida’s latest book, thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Merchant Taylors’ Foundation.

Following Cressida Cowell’s author visit, our pupils have started to draw maps showcasing the whereabouts of events in the books they are reading, once again showing that true passion for reading and its vivid impact on our children’s imagination. Many thanks for your continued commitment to inspiring a community of young readers across Wolverhampton, Zoe and the WGS team.

Returning to Wolverhampton Grammar School, it was the turn of Years 3 and 4 to take part in a draw-a-long with Cressida in the Jenyns Library. They were able to ask her lots of questions and it was a fantastic end to a busy day of World Book Day activities in the Junior School.

We thank Mrs Rowley and Mr McAllister for their amazing work in pulling this huge event together and bringing World Book Day to life. We hope you enjoy the photos which capture some of the wonderful book costumes and the event at Grand Station.

In addition, to ensure that all students were truly inspired to read on World Book Day, the Jenyns Library distributed free World Book Day books to students across the Junior and Senior Schools.

Enjoying the World Book Day event at Grand Station.