After running as a successful World Book Day exchange hub in 2025, the library will receive £350 towards events from the organisers of World Book Day, as well as receiving free books to give out to children in exchange for book tokens distributed through local schools.
World Book Day is a charity that aims to bring the fun of reading to more children and young people. The day itself is on Thursday 5 March, though events are taking place at Ripley Library on Saturday 7 and Saturday 14 March.
Local artist and illustrator, Katie Abey, will be visiting the library on Saturday 7 March from 11am to 12pm, to host a drawing and character design session.
2026 is also the National Year of Reading and to mark that, Supertato creator, Paul Linnet, will be at Ripley Library on Saturday 14 March from 10am to 11am. He will share stories, feature audience participation and lead singing.
The library, in Grosvenor Road, will also have cosy reading areas available for children to read, and be read to, on both days, as well as the chance for children to note down what they love about reading and what types of things they like to read.
Places at the events need to be booked, though families can still come into the library to use the cosy reading areas and exchange tokens for books on both days. If children haven’t received a token from their school, there will be some available from the library.
Children will be able to exchange their (free) £1 book tokens for one of the special World Book Day books that have been published. They can exchange their tokens at the library until Saturday 14 March. The titles of the books are available to see online via the World Book Day website.
Councillor Dawn Abbott, Cabinet Member for Health and Communities said:
“We’re delighted that Ripley Library is an exchange hub for World Book Day again this year. Instilling a love of reading and books in children enriches their lives and is key to them succeeding in education.”
The National Literacy Trust found last year that that only one in three children enjoys reading in their free time. Millions of children don’t own a book of their own.
Councillor Abbott added:
“By choosing a book of their own, and experiencing all our libraries have to offer, we hope that children and families will become library members – and benefit from that for the rest of their lives.”
World Book Day is supported by National Book Tokens, The Booksellers Association, The Publishers Association and funded by The Julia and Hans Rausing Trust.
Find out about different events at all our libraries on Facebook.