Reading and writing go hand in hand, so what better way to celebrate World Book Day than to get your class writing about a beloved book or a favourite character? Every year around World Book Day the Pobble Writing Bank is topped up with yet more brilliant book-based work, which is not only ideal for guided reading, ‘up-levelling’, topic research, and ‘WAGOLLs’, but also serves as an excellent place to head for finding ideas and lesson inspiration.
Don't forget the Writing Bank is easily searchable so you can look for a book by name, search for a character, or filter by genre and year group.
Here are 12 wonderful World Book Day writing ideas for you to try, shared on Pobble by teachers like you...
Letter to an author 💡
Choose their favourite author or the author of a book you're reading in class. What will they ask them? Perhaps they'd like some writing tips or to learn the inspiration behind their books. See an example on Pobble.
Alternative ending 💡
Take a well-known story or their favourite and ask your class to write an alternative ending. What will they change? How could it end differently? Read an example.
Author profiles 💡
Ask your class to capture the essential points of an author's life by writing an author profile. They could include credentials, achievements, and an overview of the books they've written. See an example on Pobble.
Twisted tales 💡
Take a traditional tale and give it a twist! Perhaps they could write it from a different character's point of view, change the opening, the setting or the ending! So many opportunities to get creative! Here's a fun example.
Read all about it! 💡
Ask your class to become news reporters and write a news story based on what happens in their favourite book. Can they include a snappy headline, quotes, and key facts? Check out this example.
Wanted! 💡
Create a wanted poster for a well-known book baddie! What key features does your class think the poster needs? Great for character descriptions! Here's a great example.
Book blurb 💡
Can your class write their own short, yet descriptive account of a book in the form of a blurb? What information will they include to intrigue the readers and make them open the book? You could get them to design the cover too! See an example here.
Dear diary... 💡
Can your class become their favourite book character and write a diary entry of a day in their life? Great for developing empathy with the character. Can they write in the first person from their selected character’s point of view throughout? See an example here.
Book review 💡
It's an oldie, but a goodie! Why should everyone read the book they love? It's a great way to work on their persuasive skills. Here's an example.
Story starter 💡
Give your class the first line or two from a popular book and ask them to continue the story in a different way. Where will their version of the story take them? Will there be any new characters? Check out this example.
Character descriptions 💡
A great excuse to explore figurative language. Can your class write a description of their favourite book character? Perhaps they could create their own and write about that! Here's an example.
Book poetry 💡
Here's a fun challenge! Grab the closest book, go to page 29, write 10 words that catch your eyes, then use 7 of the words to write a poem. Can your class complete this challenge? See an example on Pobble.
Still looking for more ideas?
Search ‘World Book Day’ in our massive bank of children’s writing on Pobble to discover more ideas or find a piece of writing to share as a WAGOLL or exemplar.