World Book Day

Stories that shape us: Why we’ll always make time for books

We love World Book Day, not only for encouraging children to read, but also for seeing all the kids dressed up in their amazing costumes. So much Joy!

Long before children can read independently, books are already shaping how they see the world. Through stories, they learn empathy, curiosity, courage and kindness. They discover that there are worlds beyond their own and that their own feelings are shared by others too.

Reading together is rarely just about the book itself. It’s about the closeness on the sofa, the routine of a sleepy bedtime story or the fun of studying all the wonderful pictures together. 

Many of us can still remember the books we loved growing up. Not just the characters, but how those stories felt. The ones read until the pages were creased and torn. The ones that sparked games, drawings, dressing up and entire imaginary worlds. Stories invite play and play invites confidence, creativity and joy.

In a world that often moves too fast, reading asks us to slow down.

Our Favourite Stories

To celebrate World Book Day, we’re sharing some of our favourite kids books.

Below, we share our top picks - stories we loved as children and stories we now read with our families.

Laura

Pick a Picture Story Book

"This book isn’t in print anymore, but it was a firm favourite of mine growing up. I loved that it felt interactive which, in the 80s, was about as interactive as books got! You chose how the story unfolded by picking a picture on the very first page, and each choice led you somewhere different. It felt magical at the time, and I still love how it encouraged imagination and a sense of play."

Violeta

"Some of my earliest reading memories are tied to the books that were passed down to me. I adored Little Women as a child, and my grandmother, a true Anglophile, introduced me to her much-loved Just William collection. I treasured them all.

Later, reading with my own children, we fell in love with the Winnie-the-Pooh stories, followed by the worlds of Terry Pratchett, Michael Morpurgo and, more recently, Katherine Rundell. And of course, no childhood bookshelf feels complete without Julia Donaldson."

Chloe

"Some of my earliest memories of stories are tied to being read to. My mum would read us a family favourite called Stanley and Rhoda by Rosemary Wells when I was very small and we all loved the Roald Dahl classics, especially Fantastic Mr Fox and Matilda.

As I grew older, I loved losing myself in the adventure and mystery of the Nancy Drew and Goosebumps series. Now, reading to my own children, I absolutely love returning to picture books and I’ll never tire of Julia Donaldson’s rhythm and rhyme."

Chloe’s top 10 picture books (with a little help from the kids)

1. The Gruffalo’s Child by Julia Donaldson
2. Great Women who Changed the World by Kate Pankhurst
3. Going to the Volcano by Andy Stanton
4. Bodies Are Cool by Tyler Feder
5. See you Later Alligator by Emma Levey
6. The Way to the Zoo by John Burningham
7. The Jolly Postman Janet and Allen Ahlberg
8. The Story of the Little Mole by Werner Holzwarth and Wolf Erlbuch
9. The Dinosaur Department Store by Lily Murray and Richard Merrit
10. Ruby's Worry by Tom Percival

Let us know your favourites in the comments!