• This April 23, World Book Day is being celebrated by millions of people and over 100 countries in lock down.
• With schools closed due to COVID-19 and families confined at home, books stimulate our minds and boost well-being.

With schools closed due to COVID-19 and families stuck at home, books are more important than ever to stimulate minds and inspire hope. In fact, some research has found reading has surged in many households since lock down restrictions have been put in place.

Today’s World Book Day celebration – the first to occur with billions of people under lock down – recognizes the key role books play in our lives.

Every year for the past two decades, UNESCO selects a new city to be the World Book Capital. Tbilisi (Georgia) World Book Capital for the year 2021, based on the recommendation of the World Book Capital Advisory Committee, which met in Switzerland in June, 2019.

UNESCO is doing its part by sharing daily poems and stories, including pages from My Hero is You, a new children’s book about COVID-19.

Aimed at 6- to 11-year-olds, the picture book features the fantasy creature Ario, who explains how we can protect ourselves from coronavirus and manage any feelings of uncertainty and confusion.

Co-produced by more than 50 humanitarian organizations, the book is available to read and download for free in more than 20 languages.

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