HEADLINES last week surrounding World Book Day in schools were hardly predictable.

This is the annual occasion when youngsters go into class dressed as a favourite book character. The resulting headlines were around two imaginative local youngsters.

Eleven year-old Nathan Bostock went to St Bartholomew’s C of E Primary School in Westhoughton in an orange dress and a wig, inspired by David Walliams’ children’s book The Boy in the Dress.

And another 11 year-old, Liam Scholes, arrived at Sale High School in a sharp grey suit and carrying cable ties and a blindfold to emulate Christian Grey from another top-seller, and now a film, Fifty Shades of Grey.

While Nathan’s clever literary take earned him the support of his school and classmates – and generally positive coverage globally when his mum tweeted it – Liam’s dubious choice got him censured by the school and prompted a national debate on suitability.

Although it will probably all be forgotten in a week or so, what did strike me – quite apart from personal feelings about either of the choices (in favour of Nathan’s but not Liam’s) – is the positive elements of the event and youngsters’ response to it.

Since the imminent “demise” of books, thanks to children’s love-affair with computers and tablets, was forecast by all kinds of doom and gloom merchants, it’s good to see them actually thriving.

Whether children do read books in print or on a Kindle or other device, the main thing is that they are reading. And, plainly, there is still a very vibrant junior literary industry.

Sorry to mention the charity shop I help out in again but there we have all noticed that there are quite a few children who come in and buy books regularly. We’ve now got quite a good collection of Jacqueline Wilson’s, for example, and I’ve been very well instructed a couple of times by young girls and boys obviously knowledgeable about her characters and storylines.

Children, like all of us I suppose, need literary exposure to a wide variety of books and themes – Fifty Shades of Grey apart, obviously – and schools do a great job in sparking youngsters’ interests in the rich seam of junior literature currently available.

Reading is not only the key to general development but can start a life-long pleasure that adds to knowledge whatever age we are. World Book Day? Make it once a month and let’s celebrate this brilliant wealth.