Celebrating books and promoting reading pleasure: bookstores, publishers, and schools across Germany are preparing for the nation’s largest reading festival together with many partners. On April 23, World Book Day, a variety of book-related activities aim to inspire reading pleasure and a joy in stories. Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe and the Bertelsmann Mediastore are also participating in these activities.
At the occasion of UNESCO’s World Book Day, more than 1.1 million schoolchildren in fourth and fifth grade and in special education, inclusion, welcome, and transition classes receive the graphic novel written and illustrated specifically for this day: “Der fliegende Klassenscooter” by the two authors Andreas Hüging and Angelika Niestrath, as well as illustrator Timo Grubing. From April 20 until May 31, the children will receive their personal gift during a class visit to one of the previously selected bookstores when presenting their coupon. In addition to around 3,000 bookstores across Germany, the Bertelsmann Mediastore at the Corporate Center in Gütersloh is also participating in the campaign. All employees, who purchase a children’s book there from April 23 will receive a free copy of the book “Ich schenk Dir eine Geschichte” – while stocks last.
“Der fliegende Klassenscooter” also accessible to children with disabilities
In 2026, the Deutsches Zentrum für barrierefreies Lesen (DZB Lesen) is once again making the World Book Day title accessible to blind children and children with visual and reading impairments: The book is published in Braille, large print, and audio format. Starting this year, an e-book edition will also be available. This results in accessible editions that make an important contribution to inclusion and the promotion of reading. DZB Lesen focuses on digital formats that allow for flexible access to ensure that these editions will be reliably possible in the long term. From this year, registration with the DZB Lesen library is required to participate in the campaign, granting children permanent access to the entire barrier-free range of media.
Sustainable book production based on the cradle-to-cradle principle
Cbj Verlag once again had the title produced based on the cradle-to-cradle principle. The recycled paper fibers can later be used to create new products, until all components return to the biological cycle in the end. “Ich schenk dir eine Geschichte” is a joint campaign by Stiftung Lesen, the Stiftung Buchkultur und Leseförderung des Börsenvereins des Deutschen Buchhandels, Cbj Verlag, Deutsche Post and DHL, as well as ZDF, and is organized under the auspices of the German state ministers of culture.
Live reading adventure for the classroom and at home
To accompany the event, Cbj will host a livestream on April 23 at 11 a.m. focused on this year’s graphic novel for school classes. Andreas Hüging, Angelika Niestrath, and Timo Grubing will present their book, read excerpts, draw live, and answer questions from host Günter Keil and the school classes participating virtually. The livestream will be broadcast on the Stiftung Lesen Facebook account and on litlounge.de, among other platforms. The website also features a short video reading by the two authors, as well as additional video clips on the topic “How is a book created, and how does it get to its readers?” In addition, further activities are planned by the participating companies and foundations.
