What Can You See? on World Book Day 2023

Look at the school. What can you see? A World Book Day reading from Jason – that’s me!

It was an honour to share my early-reader rhyming picture book, What Can You See? with the reception classes at my daughter’s school – particularly since the book is dedicated to her, for helping to open my eyes to the world around us.

Using stunning illustrations from Hannah Rounding, the book uses simple rhymes to introduce children to the world around them – from their bedrooms and gardens to the beach, the jungle and even the sky.

I read the book to each of the three reception classes in turn and I always take great interest in how different the experience is based on the response from the children. Some already knew about rhymes – most liked the beach and the playground – and they all had legs.

One of the particular pleasures of reading in schools on World Book Day is seeing the effort the children have gone to with their costumes – some instantly recognisable from modern-day classics such as Harry Potter, some taking a lead from Marvel or Pixar films and others a bit more nuanced.

But the highlight, on an occasion like this, was reading the dedication to my daughter – in front of her and her friends. Hopefully the event will help to open the eyes of all of the children to the world around them, as a first step to enjoying the language that helps us describe and understand it.