World Book Day top nonfiction for children 2024

Marked in over 100 countries across the globe, World Book Day is a UNESCO initiative that aims to celebrate both books and reading, hence we are introducing some of the top nonfiction reads for children in 2024. This year’s theme is about celebrating that children are more likely to enjoy reading when their choices are championed and we make reading fun.

Read Your Way encourages everyone to release the stress and anticipations, providing children with the freedom to choose and the opportunity to delight in reading.

In the UK and Ireland, National Book Tokens are sent out so that kids can find a book of their very own something to unlock the power of their minds. This is in light of an increasing prevalence on digital screens.

In schools across the country, kids will be dressing up as their favourite characters from books. The main aim of the day is to encourage children to explore different genres and develop a passion for reading. There are also so many benefits for children’s academic and personal development. It can help to expand vocabulary, improve empathy, and increase concentration.

How to get World Book Day nonfiction £1 books?

The £1/€1.50 books are an important part of the World Book Day mission to promote reading for pleasure by offering children and young people the opportunity to choose and own a book. The organisation works with publishers and children to create a list that appeals to a wide range of interests.

Through schools, nurseries, magazines, and partners, 50 million £1/€1.50 tokens are distributed to children and young people before World Book Day so they can experience choosing one of these books for free from their nearest bookseller! The book tokens are valid from Thursday 15 February to Sunday 31 March 2024.

According to the World Book Day Impact Report 2023, over 2 million £1/€1.50 books were gifted to children by booksellers and publishers last year. A total of 50 million £1/€1.50 book tokens were distributed by the charity through schools, magazines, and partnerships and more, ensuring that as many children as possible had a book to enjoy and call their own.

Cassie Chadderton, CEO, World Book Day said: “Encouraging children to love reading for pleasure is our charity’s mission. It’s vital we reach more children than ever, so that every child can benefit from the improved life chances that reading for pleasure brings.”

Top nonfiction books released for World Book Day 2024:

• Can You Get Jellyfish in Space? by Dr Sheila Kanani and Liz Kay. Dr Sheila Kanani discovers a weird and wonderful cast of animals who have travelled into space, from Ham the chimpanzee to Félicette the cat, and the 60,000 jellyfish who have orbited the Earth
• Lifesize Deadly Animals by Sophy Henn. As the book says, there are lifesize illustrations of some of world’s smallest and largest deadly animals and invites children to think about how they compare with these amazing creatures.
• Pets and Their People by Jess French. Vet Dr Jess French shows practical things to do with pets, such as how to treat them kindly, look after their everyday needs, and give them the best life possible.
• An Animal A Day by Miranda Smith. Travel through the incredible ecosystems and habitats of our beautiful planet and meet some of the most fascinating animals that call them home
• Shy and Mighty by Nadia Finer. This book will help children understand shyness and find their inner voice, including simple tools and ideas to help children take small steps to get more involved, share their ideas, and make friends.
• A Better Day: Your Positive Mental Health Handbook by Dr Alex George. A Better Day is a positive, accessible and practical toolkit guiding young readers in how they can care for their mental health with confidence.
• How to Be a Boy by Dr Ranj Singh. An empowering and inclusive guide to masculinity by the nation’s favourite doctor, Dr Ranj.

Watch: Inclusive Books for Children: co-founder Sarah Satha on awards and diversity in kidlit

• Be Plastic Clever by Amy and Ella Meek. Be Plastic Clever will teach children about the dangers of plastic pollution and climate change, but also to help them find their voice.
• If Our World Were A Hundred Days by Jackie McCann and Aaron Cushley. A thought-provoking way of looking at world history and our place within it.
• The Truth Detective by Tim Harford. The world is often full of bamboozling headlines and numbers that don’t add up. But don’t panic. Within these pages you will transform into a Truth Detective, hunting down the truth about the world around you.
• What’s the Weather by Fraser and Judith Ralston. From heatwaves and big freezes to tornadoes and fog, this science book gives your budding meteorologist a glimpse into all the action that happens in the sky.
• Little Experts: Amazing Bodies by Dr Ronx. Award-winning, trans, non-binary emergency doctor Dr Ronx takes you on a jaw-dropping non-fiction journey to discover more about the incredible human body.
• Where Are You Really From? by Adam Rutherford. Armed with a deeper understanding of science and history, readers will learn how to dismantle common myths of who we really are – like what race is, where we come from, and what it means to be human.

(Source: World Book Day)

Check out these top nonfiction books from World Book Day 2023

• 📚 Kay’s Brilliant Brains by Adam Kay and Henry Parker. Kay’s Brilliant Brains is a mini book written and illustrated for World Book Day 2023 by the record-breaking Adam Kay and Henry Parker. It’s a hilarious celebration of the world’s most ingenious geniuses and all that their brilliant brains achieved.
• 📚 Lifesize Creepy Crawlies by Sophy Henn. Come on an adventure to discover how you measure up against some of the world’s most incredible lifesize creepy crawlies – from the teeny tiny to the absolutely gigantic!
• 📚 Being An Ally by Shakirah Bourne and Dana Alison Levy. This book is for everyone because we can all be allies. As an ally you use your power – no matter how big or small – in order to support others. Whilst you learn, and try, you can also mess up and try harder. In this collection of true stories, YA authors get real about allyship and showing up for everyone. These authors share their truths and invite you to think about your own choices – and how you can be a better ally. 

Other nonfiction books of note:

• 📚 The (Young) Antiracist’s Workbook: Questions for Changemakers by Ibram X. Kendi and Nic Stone. Young people must be included in conversations on race. As a result, Dr. Kendi has created this workbook with bestselling YA author Nic Stone for readers age 12+.
• 📚 Stolen History: The Truth about the British Empire and how it Shaped Us by Sathnam Sanghera. An accessible and essential introduction to the British empire for readers aged 9+, by bestselling author of Empireland, Sathnam Sanghera. Check out our interview with Sanghera last year.
• 📚 Fighting in a World on Fire: The Next Generation’s Guide to Protecting the Climate and Saving Our Future by Andreas Malm, Llewyn and Jimmy Whipps. An argument for bold action to halt climate destruction, adapted for young people from Andreas Malm’s best-selling book. These urgent matters are brought to the most important audience of all: the next generation.
• 📚 You Have the Power: Find Your Strength and Believe You Can by Leah Williamson and Suzanne Wrack. You Have the Power is a positive guide for life, filled with stories from England footballer Leah Williamson’s own life. It is packed with helpful advice to show young girl’s how to find their strength and empower them to follow their dreams

Have a wonderful World Book Day! In the meantime, don’t forget to tag the initiative in your social posts using #worldbookday so they can see how you’re celebrating. Did you check out last year’s World Book Day which celebrated the theme of “You are a reader”?

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