Celebrating World Book Day with ClickView

4 mins read
Rupert Denton

Where would we be without books?

In time for World Book Day on March 3 ClickView is celebrating all things books and writing in the Topics section of the ClickView Exchange. From fascinating investigations into historical texts to reflections on technology and its consequences for the future of books, we’ve gathered a diverse range of videos focusing on the world of the books. We’re really excited to share these to help you celebrate World Book Day in the classroom.

If you’re already a ClickView customer you can access these titles in addition to over 10 000 more through the ClickView Exchange, copy them to your personal workspace and push them in to your school’s ClickView library. Otherwise, you can request a free trial today.

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Beauty of Books: Paperback Writer

The Beauty of Books focuses on the power books have had to reach out to their audiences, capture the imagination and alter the course of history. This episode focuses on the advent of the paperback and its transformative impact on literature, reading, society and the economy. The program presents a fascinating account of the importance of the now ubiquitous paperback book. Watch it here.

Poetry Season: T. S. Eliot

Arena delves into the life of one of the most important poets of the 20th Century, T. S. Eliot. Through interviews with writers and including Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney the program traces the many faces of T. S. Eliot from banker to father to poet, while treating us to much of Eliot’s work. Poetry Season T. S. Eliot reminds us of the legacy of this pivotal figure for not just for poetry and literature but for also the way we see and think about the world around us. Watch it here.

A Million Books for Free

Historian and Art Critic Andrew Graham Dixon, takes the viewer through the cultural event of World Book Night. Dixon visits a number of World Book Night events where people exchange their favourite titles with other book lovers. A Million Books for Free is a wonderful exposé about how books can bring people, even strangers, together through their shared passion for reading. Watch it here.

Just Read with Michael Rosen

Children’s author and poet Michael Rosen visits a Primary School in Cardiff to investigate the attitudes of children towards books and their reading habits. Over ten weeks Rosen attempts to spark a reading revolution at the School through having teachers break with the set curriculum in favour of books and reading. The program highlights changing attitudes towards books and reading and tries to answer the question asked by many teachers and parents, “How can we kindle a love of books and reading?” Watch it here.

The Ladybird Books Story: How Britain Got the Reading Bug

This program tells the fascinating story of Ladybird books, which have become an iconic part of the British literary landscape. Throughout the documentary the audience is told the story of Ladybird Books and the impact the books had on the British consciousness and national image. The program serves as a reminder about the far reaching impact books can have on our imagination and our society. Watch it here.

Picture Book

This program tells the story of how our reading changes and grows along with us. This episode focuses on the children’s picture book and explores the way in which the picture book stirs the minds of young readers through sumptuous illustration and brilliantly simple story-telling. The program is a wonderful reminder of the pure joy that books can elicit in readers of all ages. Watch it here.

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Google and the World Brain

Moving towards the future, Google and the World Brain looks at one of the most ambitious projects ever conceived on the Internet: Google’s plan to digitize every book on earth. This exhilarating and crucial documentary looks at Google’s gargantuan project and those who are trying to stop the project arguing that it undermines copyright, protection for authors and the privacy of readers globally. Watch it here.

Why Reading Matters

Science writer Rita Carter presents this timely story of how modern neuroscience has revealed the extraordinary power of books to help unlock the power of our brains. She focuses on the classic, Wuthering Heights, and its ability to have us enter other minds and understand the world from different points of view. Carter also considers whether the digital revolution may threaten the value of classic reading and impede us from accessing the powers gained through books. Watch it here.

The Secret Life of Books: Swallows and Amazons

The Secret Life of Books is a series in which classic books are considered afresh. Expert writers return to the original manuscripts and letters of authors to bring new insights to famous and iconic books. In this episode former journalist John Sergeant explores Arthur Ransome’s seminal work Swallows and Amazons. In the process he explores Ransome’s fascinating life as a foreign correspondent and friend of Lenin and Trotsky and how these experiences led to a new, authentic form of children’s literature. Swallows and Amazons captures the often exciting lives of authors and the ways in which these lives inform and influence their books. Watch it here.

If you have any suggestions of programs from free-to-air TV over the past week you think would be a great resource for teachers feel free to contact me at rupert.denton@clickview.co.uk