World Book Day 2020

Today in the UK and Ireland World Book Day marks its 23rd anniversary. Over the years it has carried on its mission to give every child and young person a book of their own with the help of publishers and booksellers as well as with the distribution of book tokens.
With the prized possession of a book of their own, children can embark on an adventure of lifetime. Seeing places and meeting people they only dream about.
World Book Day also celebrates those that make books possible, the authors that write the stories and the illustrators that put life into them.
To promote the enjoyment of books and reading on a global scale, World Book and Copyright Day is celebrated in over 100 countries under the auspices of UNESCO on the 23rd of April each year. Why the 23rd of April? Well it seems the date was chosen because it marks the date of the death of some renowned writers - Shakespeare, Cervantes.
Since 2003 ZODML has through its Catch Them Young Reading Programme for local government primary school pupils and Secondary School Reading Programme for secondary school students given thousands of free books to children and young people.
 
Each month during the school year, 52 pupils and students from government schools are each given a book to own and read and are thereafter signed up as members of ZODML’s community library and encouraged to develop the habit of reading by visiting the library regularly and borrowing books.
In recognition of the importance of authors, a number of renowned Nigerian authors, including the late Cyprian Ekwensi, author of Jagua Nana and The Drummer Boy and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, award winning author of Purple Hibiscus, Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah have featured in the Reading Programmes.
JOIN US in getting free books to children and young people by looking around you and giving a book to a child that does not have one. Let us know how many books you give today.