Masons, the craft and fabric shop, decorated their window three weeks ago with a mermaid rising from a sea of children’s books. They have animal character headbands on sale, and material out of which creative people could make favourite book characters.

At Oxfam, a dress made from the sewn pages of a book stands in the window, alongside a display of books.

World Book Day is celebrated on the first Thursday in March each year. World Book Day was set up in 1995 to encourage children to discover the pleasure of reading. The book shops will have books available for just £1.

Schools taking part in Book Day will have celebrations to promote a love for reading.

And beyond the animal headbands and mermaids, there are plenty of books waiting for grown-up readers too.