It’s coming. The annual ritual. The days of frantic costume planning, late-night Amazon searches, and last-minute compromises (“You can be Harry Potter again, but you’ll have to borrow your sister’s scarf”).
World Book Day is a celebration of reading. And that’s a good thing. A love of books is something every Christian parent should want to cultivate. We should want our children to get lost in great stories, to expand their imaginations, to experience the joy of reading. After all, we are people of The Book.
But maybe World Book Day is also an opportunity—not just to celebrate books but to consider what role they play in shaping our children.
1. Books Do More Than Entertain
We all want our children to enjoy reading. But have we ever stopped to ask why?
Books don’t just inform; they form. They shape how we see the world, teaching us what to admire, what to desire, what to fear, and what to love. They don’t just reflect reality—they shape it.
That’s why the stories we give our children matter. Some nourish the soul; others leave it empty. Some tell the truth about the world, even in fictional form; others subtly (or not so subtly) reshape reality.
That doesn’t mean we need to be overly anxious or vet every book like a literary security guard. But it does mean we should think carefully about what kinds of books are shaping our children—because books don’t just reflect culture, they create it.
2. The Social Media Effect: Books as Backdrops
World Book Day fills social media feeds with happy pictures: children proudly clutching a book while dressed as their favourite character. It’s great to see excitement about reading.
But how much does that excitement last beyond the photos?
Are books a normal part of our family rhythms? Are they shaping our homes, our habits, and our conversations? Are we regularly reading together, talking about stories, and helping our children think about what they read?
And here’s a challenge: when was the last time we saw a social media post celebrating a child’s love for The Book?
3. The Book That Shapes Every Other Book
We make a special effort for World Book Day—planning ahead, getting up early, making sure our children are prepared for the day. But how often do we put that same effort into helping them delight in God’s Word?
- When was the last time we set aside time to make Scripture come alive for them?
- When did we invest in resources that would help them love this Book?
- When did we wake up early to read the Bible together before they started their day?
This isn’t about guilt-tripping anyone. But if we want our children to treasure God’s Word, they need to see that we do.
4. Choosing Books That Form, Not Just Entertain
Some books feed a child’s heart and mind, helping them see beauty, truth, and goodness. Others gently (or overtly) nudge them away from these things.
That doesn’t mean we should only give our kids overtly Christian books. But it does mean we should ask:
- Are the stories they consume reinforcing a biblical view of what is good, true, and beautiful?
- Do they inspire courage, virtue, and wisdom?
- Are they teaching our children to be thoughtful, discerning, and engaged with the world?
A child’s reading diet will shape their view of reality. Helping them develop a love for rich, meaningful books is a gift.
5. Making the Most of World Book Day
So, what do we do? Cancel the costumes? Ban all books except Puritan paperbacks? Only allow our kids to dress as characters from the Bible?
Of course not.
World Book Day is fantastic fun. It’s good to celebrate books. It’s good for children to enjoy dressing up, talking about stories, and sharing their love of reading. But maybe, as Christian parents, we could also use this day as a small moment to pause and think:
- What kinds of stories are shaping our children?
- What kind of readers are we raising?
- Are we helping them love books that nourish and strengthen them—not just entertain them?
- And are we remembering to help them love The Book most of all?
Maybe this year, alongside the costumes, we could also:
- Choose a book together that is deeply good—a story that shapes the heart as well as the mind.
- Make a plan to read a great book aloud as a family—because stories are meant to be shared.
- Be intentional about helping our children engage with the Bible—with the same enthusiasm we cultivate for fiction.
Because if we want our children to love what is good, true, and beautiful, we need to put those kinds of books in front of them. Not just on World Book Day, but every day.
