Make a date for the biggest annual celebration of books and reading.  See www.worldbookday.com

Now in its ninth year, World Book Day has become firmly established in the nation’s consciousness as a key part of the cultural calendar.

This year the emphasis is on celebration, with lots of different opportunities to say Happy World Book Day.

Opportunities include:

- Balloon releases in major UK cities: London, Edinburgh, Nottingham, Manchester, Cardiff and Newcastle with golden tickets to exchange for National Book Tokens.

· Best-selling children’s authors, Elizabeth Laird and Jonathan Meres will release the balloons in Edinburgh.

- A search for the nation’s favourite happy ending is under way. Vote for your favourite happy ending to win online at: www.worldbookday.com 

- Eight million Happy World Book Day postcards will be created and distributed to the public through libraries, bookshops, cinemas, offices, bars, schools, prisons, restaurants, health clubs, universities, colleges, art galleries, newspapers and magazines.

- Thousands of book events will take place in schools, libraries, bookshops and arts centres across the country encouraging children and adults to join in this celebration of reading. Go to the World Book Day website to see what events are happening in your area, at www.worldbookday.com:

· BRAW (Books, Reading and Writing), the network for the Scottish Children’s book, is planning a series of events to celebrate 2006 World Book Day. Over 30 children’s writers and illustrators resident in Scotland will be attending events at their local school or public library, from Shetland to Dumfries and Galloway. Participating authors include Theresa Breslin, Julia Donaldson, Keith Gray and Catherine MacPhail.

· Regional Ottakars stores will be holding a variety of events in branches throughout Scotland.

- Launching on World Book Day, Quick Reads, is an innovative series of short and accessible fiction and non-fiction, aimed at the millions of people in the UK who just don’t have time to read or who struggle to finish a book. Among the writers contributing are Maeve Binchy, Ruth Rendell, Joanna Trollope, Danny Wallace, Patrick Augustus and Rowan Coleman.

- £1 World Book Day Book Tokens will be given out to every primary school child at schools across the country, thanks to National Book Tokens, principal sponsor of World Book Day 2006, and to participating booksellers who redeem the tokens at their own expense.

- Six specially produced World Book Day £1 books for six different age ranges by leading children’s authors - over a million in print - can be exchanged for the £1 World Book Day Book Token.