Free Book Giveaway to Celebrate World Book Day

Barnardo's teams up with Awesome Books for a children's book giveaway

To celebrate World Book Day on Thursday 6^th March 2025, Barnardo’s teamed up with Awesome Books to run a children’s book giveaway to help promote reading for fun and to help more children in the UK enjoy reading.

World Book Day champions the fun of reading, because it seriously improves lives. 

Almost 400,000 children in the UK do not own a book and the proportion of children without books is increasing – now 1 in 3, compared to 1 in 10 in 2005. Children who have access to books are more likely to be strong readers and perform better in school, while those without books are more likely to live in poverty. We believe that every child, no matter their circumstances or location should have access to books and the opportunity to achieve their dreams through education.

Stores participating in the promotion received a box of up to 50 children’s books donated by Awesome Books. These books were given away to any children in store during the promotion to help encourage reading for pleasure and to ensure more children have access to a book of their own.

Only 1 in 3 children now say they enjoy reading. Awesome Books believe children are more likely to read if they enjoy it, so together we’re on a mission to encourage them to see reading as an entertaining, social and fun thing to do. 

We want more children to grow up with a life-long, life-changing habit of reading for fun, and all the benefits this brings.

Awesome Books re-circulate books that readers no longer want, helping them find new homes and be re-read, rather than being thrown into waste. Awesome Books aims to donate 100,000 books each year through its literacy program.

At Barnardo’s, we are committed to preserving resources for future generations. This includes books, allowing people to enjoy them as many times as possible without having to create new ones, giving thousands of books a second chance. Donating your old books to Barnardo’s positively contributes to sustainability and literacy. Please drop any unwanted books into your local Barnardo's store to help support our mission.