World Book Day reveals its £1 books for 2025

World Book Day has revealed the 15 £1 books that children will be able to choose for free, in exchange for their token. 

Children were involved in selecting the titles, putting World Book Day’s commitment to children’s choice at the core of its work. The exciting 2026 range of £1 books appeal to a whole range of readers, from beginners to teens, to ensure the celebration is accessible to all. 

With just one-in-three children and young people saying they enjoy reading in their free time – a 36 per cent decrease in reading enjoyment since 2005 – helping find the joy in reading is more important than ever. 

World Book Day’s mission

The opportunity for all children to have a book of their own is at the heart of World Book Day’s mission. Currently, almost one million children in the UK don’t own a book, which rises to one-in-eight for children eligible for free school meals. A quarter of children receiving free school meals said that the book they ‘bought’ with their World Book Day token was the first book of their own.

Supported by long-term sponsor, National Book Tokens, and working alongside publishers and booksellers, this year’s World Book Day will continue to build on its work to improve access to books, encouraging everyone to give children the choice and chance to develop that lifelong habit of reading for fun.   

Commenting on the book reveal 

Interim CEO of World Book Day, Fiona Hickley, comments: “World Book Day exists to help children find their own joy in reading.  When children have the freedom to explore books and all forms of reading in a way that suits them, that’s when they gain the well-documented wellbeing, educational and life-chance advantages of reading for fun.

“Our research shows children avoid reading when pressured, so at World Book Day we seek to appeal to children with our wonderful selection of £1 books that are meticulously chosen to offer exciting options across popular interests and reading levels. Our aim is to ensure every child can discover their own kind of fun in the books.”

This year’s £1 line-up offers a fantastic selection for children to choose from.  

Beginner readers

• Peppa Pig: One Big Family published by Ladybird, Penguin Random House UK  
• The Big Bang by Rose Ayling-Ellis, written in collaboration with Katie Blackburn and illustrated by Paddy Donnelly

Early readers

• Funny FACTopia! – Follow the Trail of 100 Wacky Facts written by Christopher Lloyd and Kate Olesin, illustrated by Andy Smith and published by What on Earth!  
• Pablo and Splash: The Castle Quest written and illustrated by Sheena Dempsey, published by Bloomsbury  
• Pia’s Pet Club: Iguana Escape by Serena Patel, illustrated by Emma McCann and published by Usborne  
• Unicorn Academy: My Secret Unicorn Diary published by Nosy Crow

Fluent readers

• Bear Rescue by Hannah Gold, illustrated by Levi Pinfold, published by HarperCollins Children’s Books 
• Unbelievable Football: The Most Amazing World Cup Stories You Never Knew written by Matt Oldfield, illustrated by Ollie Mann and published by Hachette Children’s Group  
• Bunny vs Monkey: Total Chaos! Written and illustrated by Jamie Smart and published by The Phoenix Comic Books (an imprint of David Fickling Books)  
• Skandar and the Secret Element written by A.F. Steadman and published by Simon & Schuster  
• Chaos at the Chocolate Factory written by Sibéal Pounder and illustrated by Emily Jones   

Independent

• Against All Odds written by Nathanael Lessore, published by Hot Key Books

World Book Day will be celebrated on Thursday, 5 March 2026.