World Book Day brings stories to life

Today we marked World Book Day with a vibrant celebration of reading, creativity and imagination.

On the most colourful day of the school year, children arrived dressed as their favourite book characters, filling the corridors and classrooms with a wonderful range of colourful and inventive outfits. From classic storybook heroes to modern favourites, the costumes helped bring beloved stories to life and created a real buzz around the school.

The teaching staff also embraced the spirit of the day by dressing up as the 101 Dalmatians, with Mrs Clough, Head of English, taking on the role of the infamous Cruella de Vil. At morning drop-off, the children were greeted by Mr Armitage, who appeared in character as The Demon Headmaster!

We began the day with a special assembly exploring the history and purpose of World Book Day, highlighting the importance of reading for pleasure and encouraging pupils to discover new stories and authors. 

Throughout the day, pupils took part in a variety of creative, book-themed activities. In French lessons, the Reception children listened to the story Le Monstre Vert and enthusiastically helped to name the colours and parts of the monster’s face in French! Later, Year 4 practised describing their own costumes in French, consolidating their knowledge of clothing vocabulary and colours.

Across the school, the children enjoyed sharing well-loved stories, including Year 1who read an extract from Fantastic Mr Fox. Inspired by the day’s theme, they then wrote about their chosen costumes and illustrated themselves as their characters. Creative activities also included designing bookmarks and creating original book covers.

In another activity inspired by The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, Year 2 explored the idea of creativity and “making your mark.” Each child transformed a simple blank dot into a colourful and imaginative book cover, complete with a title, author and illustrator. The finished designs were wonderfully inventive, with ideas ranging from adventurous stories to imaginative fantasy tales.

At lunchtime, the kitchen ran a competition to see who could find the hidden golden tickets on the children's lunch trays. Congratulations to Lincoln P, Rafaella D and Felicity B who all found a ticket and won themselves a home-made chocolate brownie!

World Book Day concluded with a book fair, organised by the Friends of Rupert House. Parents and children have spent the past few weeks bringing in book donations and today they were available to buy a book or two for £2 each, with all profits going to The Chiltern Centre. Any remaining books will be donated to a local primary school.

Mrs Clough said,

Reading for pleasure is the single most important indicator of a child’s future success, yet in 2025, just 1 in 3 young people said they enjoyed reading in their spare time in a recent study. At Rupert House, World Book Day is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the power of stories and the joy of reading, and to encourage children to read for pleasure rather than reach for a device. Books allow children to explore new worlds, develop empathy and imagination, and build the literacy skills that support learning across the whole curriculum. Seeing the children and staff come together to celebrate their favourite characters is amazing, and reminds us that reading should always be something to share and enjoy.

Well done to Winnie P, Penny G, Benjamin D and Alfie H who all received certificates for having the most imaginative outfits!