Julie Andrews will launch a new podcast this week in which the actress and her daughter, children’s book author Emma Walton Hamilton, read children’s books aloud.
“Julie’s Library: Story Time with Julie Andrews” will feature readings of picture books, plus discussions of words and meanings in the stories.
“At this extraordinary time, with families confined to their homes and in need of creative content and learning support, we have accelerated the show’s launch in order to bring it to audiences as soon as possible” Andrews said in a statement.
Beginning April 29, new stories will be released each Wednesday.
Since children can’t see illustrations while listening to the audio, Andrews encourages families to purchase the featured books or rent them from the library when libraries reopen across the country. She said music and sound effects will be included in the readings.
Andrews said the chosen books have standout text and have mostly been published within the last decade.
“When I became a parent, I passed the love of reading on to my children. My daughter and I have co-authored over 30 books for children and young adults, and our shared passion for the power of storytelling, literacy, and the arts remains fervent,” Andrews said. “It is our hope that the stories and ideas we share on ‘Julie’s Library’ will provide family listening pleasure, inspire meaningful conversations, and be a trusted resource for literary enjoyment and learning.”
In an interview Monday, Andrews said that in addition to taping recordings, she’s been passing the time in quarantine at her New York home by chatting via Zoom with her family in California and England.
Andrews also stars in a children’s show called “Julie’s Greenroom” on Netflix now.
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