World Book Day was created by UNESCO on 23rd April 1995, as a worldwide celebration of books and reading. It is now celebrated in over 100 countries around the globe, an in many countries the goal is to encourage young people to discover the pleasure of reading. On this day, the bookstores in Germany gift a free book to children throughout the country.
This year’s book – ‘Volle fahrt ins Abenteuer’ (or ‘Full speed to adventure’ in English) written by Katharina Reschke with illustrations by Timo Grubing – tells a story of cousins Elai and Flo together with their Grandmother and a boy next door, on an ecological road trip to the Baltic Sea in search of a hidden family treasure.
The cover of the comic novel as well as its packaging is printed on Metsä Board’s sustainable fresh fibre paperboard and was supplied in co-operation with German distributor Inapa.
The book is published by the renowned German children’s publishing house cbj, which is part of Penguin Random House publishing group. Barbara Scheuer, the group's Overall Production Manager and Environmental Officer, says: "In an increasingly digital world, it is still the book that gives special experiences for the senses, in addition to its more lasting content. The title and the design of the cover, not only arouses curiosity, but also gives the haptic feeling of having something that is valuable. Many people – the author, the illustrator, Metsä Board, the printer and, finally, the publisher – gave their all to this project and are pleased to have set an example of sustainable production.”
"It is a pleasure to be part of this important project. For a graphic novel, the quality of the cover printing is particularly important, so we are delighted that the publisher chose our MetsäBoard Prime FBB Bright board quality, which provided perfect printing results. This sustainable, lightweight material also reduced the carbon footprint of the printed book," adds Gabriel Goldmayer, Sales Director at Metsä Board.