Stuck at home with kids? Your favorite Disney characters will read you a story
Once upon a time, famous actors, musicians and authors united during a pandemic to ease children’s anxieties through storytelling.
Dolly Parton, Amy Adams, Josh Gad, Jennifer Garner, Constance Wu, Natalie Portman, Lupita Nyong’o, Reese Witherspoon, Gal Gadot, Camila Cabello, Kerry Washington and others are lending their voices to “Operation Storytime,” “Save With Stories” and more initiatives aimed at lifting kids’ — and parents’ — spirits amid coronavirus-induced uncertainty.
Daisy Ridley (“Star Wars”), Auli’i Cravalho (“Moana”), Ginnifer Goodwin (“Zootopia”), Tony Hale (“Toy Story 4”), Ming-Na Wen (“Mulan”) and more Disney stars are among the latest public figures to join the literary crusade, reciting picture-book tales based on their own beloved characters.
And Parton recently launched a series called “Goodnight With Dolly,” in which the country music legend reads bedtime stories every Thursday.
Here’s how it works: Participants post social media videos of themselves reading various children’s books aloud to entertain self-quarantined families whose children are no longer in school because of public health concerns.
“In case your day calls for a calming story,” Garner captioned her Instagram post, for which she recited Jan Brett’s winter wonderland tale “The Mitten,” accompanied by her kid-friendly golden retriever.
Gad — who is accustomed to amusing kids as the voice of Olaf the snowman in the “Frozen” movies — opted to read Shel Silverstein’s classic “The Giving Tree” and offered some support to families who have committed to social distancing.
“I also want to thank everyone who is in self-isolation right now. I know it’s hard not to be out there socializing with everybody. Trust me, I want to be out there too,” the “Book of Mormon” alum said. “But it’s important that all of us protect everybody who is somewhat fragile right now, or immuno-compromised, so thank you. And now I’m going to read a book that I have a lot of trouble getting through and haven’t actually read in a long time because I find it a difficult one.”
In addition to partnering with parenting blog Romper for “Operation Storytime,” Garner collaborated with Adams for “Save With Stories,” a reading initiative started by nonprofit organizations Save the Children and No Kid Hungry. Similar to “Operation Storytime,” “Save With Stories” features Adams reciting her daughter Aviana Olea Le Gallo’s “The Dinosaur Princess” and Garner reading Ken Geist’s “The Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark.”
“We are galvanizing as a community to support a new fund for a combined effort between SAVE THE CHILDREN and Share Our Strength’s NO KID HUNGRY,” Adams wrote on Instagram. “THIRTY MILLION CHILDREN in the United States rely on school for food. School closures will hit vulnerable communities hard.”
Both actresses also encouraged their fans to donate to Save the Children and No Kid Hungry in order to serve kids “affected by COVID-19,” who are experiencing food insecurity during the pandemic. Anyone who wants to contribute can do so at savethechildren.org/savewithstories or text “SAVE” to 20222 for a one-time donation of $10.
“All you have to do is watch our stories and please consider donating,” Adams said in a joint video with Garner.
Parents can find more celebrity and author renditions of their kids’ favorite stories below.
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