The message at the heart of World Book Day 2025 is ‘Read your Way’.

Over the last few months I’ve been lucky to spend time with some of the great people who work at World Book Day charity; they’re working hard to make sure their annual celebration persuades children and families to share stories together, not just on World Book Day but every day of the year.

In today’s tech-heavy world it’s a tough challenge to take on, with screens increasingly vying for children's (and adult’s attention). We shouldn’t give up though as it’s a challenge worth tackling, after all, the evidence of the educational and wellbeing benefits of reading are well-documented. This year the message has caused me to reflect on what ‘read your way’ means to my work, my family and me, as day-to-day I immerse myself in the world of reading.

At Coram Beanstalk I’m fortunate to hear the experiences of children and volunteers in their one-to-one sessions. Frequently, I hear of a child who has 'found their thing', by which I mean, they’ve ‘read their way’ and often this isn’t in the books we might think they should read (there’s no such thing as should by the way!). It’s in the washing machine manual, the cookbook, the anthology of spiders, the football pages, the set-your-teeth-on-edge-book full of Americanisms or the book that was actually intended for someone much younger.

However, giving them the space and freedom to explore what’s available sets them on a path, lifts their shoulders and onwards they confidently step into the world of being a reader.

At home, I have two adult sons and a partner who spends much of his day covered in oil. At first glance, I don’t think anyone would describe them as readers, but take a closer look and you’ll see that they too, read their own way. The eldest is developing his career, he’s constantly looking up ways to work with data and learn more about the world in which he operates. The youngest has an absolute thirst for knowledge; he’s constantly learning and wows us all with his ‘fact of the day’. And the oil covered one? Well, he’s reading about how to do an aspect of car restoration he’s not yet familiar with or maybe relaxing with a graphic novel.

And me? I’m a more traditional reader. I have an e-reader on the go and choose to read at the end of the day or a Sunday afternoon, I’ll be reading fiction, but never anything you might consider to be highbrow; my choices probably don’t befit my title of a Literacy Leader. I also like to learn about the mind, it fascinates me how our inner programming works to shape our actions. I’m definitely reading my way.

So, ‘read your way’ can take many forms and we should all be supporting children, and each other, to find theirs. I firmly agree that it really is the best way to get more people reading, and for them to make it a natural part of life.

For many children they need help to find out what’s available to them and to develop the confidence to follow their own interests. And it's by having an interested adult taking the time to share a variety of books, magazines, comics or even those recipe books or instruction manuals with them that can make all the difference, rather than just assuming that children already know what they want to read.

At Coram Beanstalk this is our bread and butter. We’re always keen for new volunteers, schools and funders to get involved, so please do reach out if you’d like to join us.

Take a look at the selection of World Book Day 2025 books