Children will be dressing up as their favourite literary characters on Thursday (March 7) to mark World Book Day 2024.

The annual celebration looks to recognise authors, illustrators and characters, as well as all genres of novels such as science-fiction, fantasy and romance.

We took to the street to find out the Manx public’s favourite books.

Rowena Kelly, from Douglas, said: ‘James Herriot is my favourite author of all time!

‘I always return to the books throughout different periods of my life because they’re very comforting.

‘There’s actually a series out on TV at the moment called “All Creatures Great And Small” which is based on one of his books, and it’s a really good watch. It’s very similar to his books.

‘All the characters are very familiar to me, they’re almost like my friends.

‘It’s because I’ve been reading these books since I was a teenager.’

Talking about how much she reads, Rowena said: ‘I’m a great and big reader.

‘My children not as much, but I’m trying to get them into it. They don’t seem to enjoy it as much as I do, and I can’t make them read – I just try to encourage them.

‘Personally, I still try to read as much as I can. I would say I probably read a book a month, at least.’

Josh Moore, from Douglas, said: ‘I would say my favourite book is “The Master And Margarita” from Mikhail Bulgakov.

‘It’s a classic from the early 20th century, and it’s kind of a surrealist comedy novel. That would be my stand out.

‘At school, I remember reading a lot of Roal Dahl, and they were popular when I was younger.

‘In key stage one and two it’s all about learning how to read, and then you can properly start to enjoy and appreciate books more as you get a bit older. I think Roal Dahl is great for people to start using their imaginations.’

Jackie Jackson, from Cronk-y-Voddy, said she was a big fan of American novelist John Grisham.

Talking about her favourite books of his, she said: ‘I love “A Time To Kill”, and I’ve also read “The Pelican Brief” and “The Firm”.

‘I’ve got a big collection of his books at home, and I’ve always wanted to donate them to the charity shop - but I always end up leaving them where they are!

‘I think I like his books because I’m very interested in investigative journalism. These are essentially real stories and it triggers my investigative thinking.

‘I normally read before I go to sleep but I don’t read as much as I want to. I have two kids now and by the time I put them to bed I’m too tired.’

David Griffiths, from Douglas, said: ‘I would say my favourite book, especially when I was younger, was “The Weirdstone Of Brisingamen” from an author called Alan Garner.

‘It’s based in the Cheshire countryside and Alderly Edge a few miles south of Manchester, and was all about wizards and folklore. I read it at school and I’ve occasionally re-read it in recent years.

‘I’m not a great reader to be honest, apart from sports books. I love sports history and I enjoy books about cricket in the 1950s and before World War Two.’