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Coronavirus Storytime: Here's Where To Find Celebrities Reading Children's Books Online
Former 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' co-stars Sir Patrick Stewart and LeVar Burton read to kids (and adults) on social media. (Michael Kovac/Getty Images for STARZ)
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In mid-March, comedian and actor Josh Gad started reading children's books online (#GadBookClub) to give parents a brief respite from home schooling. We took a look around the web and found these other celebs sharing kid lit.
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Goodnight with Dolly
Country legend Dolly Parton reads to children at bedtime every Thursday night at 4 p.m. PDT for 10 weeks. The books come from her Imagination Library, a program that mails free books to children from the time they're born until they start school. Snuggled in bed with her book, Parton shares stories including There's a Hole in the Log on the Bottom of the Lake by Loren Long, Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney and I Am a Rainbow, which she wrote herself. The readings stream on the Imagination Library, Dolly Parton and Dollywood social channels.
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LeVar Burton Reads
Best known to adults of a certain generation as Geordi from Star Trek: The Next Generation and to others as the guy from Reading Rainbow, Burton expands the reach of his popular podcast by making stories available on Twitter. The new series began last week. He reads to children on Mondays at 9 a.m., to young adult readers on Wednesdays at 3 p.m. and to adults on Fridays at 6 p.m. PDT.
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Sonnet 5 is too hard. Here’s number 6. #ASonnetADay pic.twitter.com/WfPppZxc8Z
— Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) March 26, 2020
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Patrick Stewart
Speaking of Star Trek: TNG, Stewart (aka Capt. Jean-Luc Picard) has been reading Shakespeare's sonnets on Twitter. Stewart's British baritone is perfect for older kids -- and anxiety-riddled adults. We looked up how many sonnets the Bard wrote (154, in case you were wondering). Hopefully, quarantine will be lifted before Stewart runs out. Follow @sirpatstew on Twitter or search for the hashtag #ASonnetADay.
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SavewithStories
Actresses Jennifer Garner and Amy Adams have teamed up with Save the Children and No Kid Hungry to tell stories while raising money to help feed kids. Find stories on Instagram and Facebook including Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag, read by Glenn Close; It's Hard to Be Five by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell, read by Robin Wright; Jimmy Zangwow's Out-of-this-World Moon-Pie Adventure by Tony DiTerlizzi, read by Kaitlyn Dever and her dog Banjo; The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak, read by Paul Scheer; If You Give A Dog A Donut by Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond and read by Chris Evans; Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry, illustrated by Vashti Harrison and read by Gabrielle Union.
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