Mary Steenburgen reads Caldecott Medal-winning children’s book Strega Nona for SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Storyline Online Program
December 15, 2016
Steenburgen brings story to life while singing and playing the accordion
LOS ANGELES (December 15, 2016) – Academy Award winner Mary Steenburgen showcases her passion for storytelling and lesser known musical talents in the latest Storyline Online (storylineonline.net) video released today by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. Storyline Online streams free videos featuring celebrated actors reading beloved children’s books out loud alongside inventively animated, original illustrations. Storyline Online is available 24 hours a day at no cost to children, parents, and educators worldwide, and receives over 12 million views every month.
The newest addition to the Storyline Online digital library features Mary Steenburgen reading Strega Nona (https://youtu.be/PGVXwMX0e5w) written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola. Strega Nona, recipient of the 1976 Caldecott Medal, tells the story of “Grandma Witch” and her misbehaving assistant Big Anthony.
“I love the book Strega Nona because it’s a little bit about magic and it’s a little bit about listening to someone’s wishes,” Steenburgen shares with her audience. “I loved reading it to my two granddaughters and they liked it too.”
As natural storytellers, Storyline Online features well-known actors including Allison Janney, Christian Slater, Betty White, James Earl Jones, Kevin Costner and many more, who delve into a treasure trove of children’s books, themes, and topics. Through Storyline Online, these gifted actors volunteer their time and talents to bring stories to life and the love of reading to children all over the world. Each video comes with supplemental curriculum for both home and school, aimed at strengthening verbal, written and comprehension skills in children grades K-5th.
“We are so grateful to Mary for bringing this cherished story to life in such a unique and personal way. She showed up to set not only ready to read the book, but she also brought her accordion, and spontaneously played it and sang as part of her reading,” said Cyd Wilson, Executive Director of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. “Mary added a whole new level of creativity and artistry to reading for our program. We think kids are not only going to love watching Mary read Strega Nona, but they’re going to love singing along with her.”
To view Strega Nona and all of the Storyline Online videos, visit storylineonline.net, and subscribe to youtube.com/storylineonline. Keep up with new videos to be released in 2017! Follow @StorylineOnline on Twitter and /StorylineOnline on Facebook.
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The SAG-AFTRA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides vital assistance and free educational programming to the professionals of SAG-AFTRA while serving the public at large through its signature children’s literacy programs. The Foundation relies solely on support from gifts, grants and sponsorships to maintain its free programs. For more information, visit sagaftra.foundation.
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