CBS’ Broke star Jaime Camil reads first book in English and Spanish for SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Storyline Online®
April 23, 2020
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Caroline O’Connor
Director of Communications
coconnor@sagaftra.foundation
323-549-6604
LOS ANGELES (April 23, 2020) – This World Book Day, international actor and star of the CBS series Broke, Jaime Camil joins the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Storyline Online® cast as its first bilingual reader. Camil reads Zombies Don’t Eat Veggies! / ¡Los Zombis No Comen Verduras! in both English and Spanish, introducing two new read alouds to the Emmy-nominated children’s literacy program.
Written and illustrated by Megan and Jorge Lacera, and published by Lee & Low Books. Los Zombis expands the Storyline Online bookverse to a multi-language first, offering even greater access to literacy for children at home and across the world—a timely addition for this World Book Day – during a period when children across the world are learning from home.
An educational brand since 2001, Storyline Online has seen significant growth during the COVID-19 pandemic when remote learning has become a standardized norm within households. Boasting a 250% increase in views, and 750% surge in complementary activity guide downloads, the initiative has seen a sharp spike in interaction, shares, and likes, proving to be an essential online resource for families learning at home. Los Zombis stands to be the newest popular entry in the series, and the SAG-AFTRA Foundation is excited to release it for an even broader audience.
“We are thrilled to offer our first story in two languages,” says Courtney B. Vance, President of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. “As we all know, millions of children here in the U.S. and worldwide are bilingual readers, and it’s exciting to see this initiative reflecting them and our shared world and culture. Not only will this cast a wider net with our award-winning literacy content, but we’re also inviting readers of all backgrounds to explore the cultural wealth that comes with being a young global citizen. Jaime’s reading of Los Zombis in English and Spanish is the perfect vehicle in which to unite cultures across the spectrum—and beyond that, his wonderfully comedic read is a sheer delight.”
Camil was thrilled to introduce the first bilingual book to Storyline Online saying, “I love this story for many reasons. First of all, it’s perfectly fine to be different, because in a loving family, you’ll be accepted—and it’s okay to express yourself. Mo was very respectful of his parents, and they were able to come together and compromise. It teaches a wonderful lesson to kids to be true to themselves, to be honest, and to not be afraid to be authentic.”
Zombies Don’t Eat Veggies! / ¡Los Zombis No Comen Verduras! is a humorous reversal of the typical “zombies eat humans” trope, offering instead the story of a young zombie boy, Mo Romero, who loves kale and squash better than any fleshy “finger foods.” Mo tries to get his brains-loving parents to prefer heads of lettuce and give peas a chance, wildly cooking up a tomato and veggie soup that he’s sure will convert them. When his plan goes awry, however, Mo stands up for himself and his individuality, explaining to his loving madre and padre that he is still the son they love, even if he’s very different from them.
As with all Storyline Online videos, Zombies Don’t Eat Veggies! / ¡Los Zombis No Comen Verduras! is accompanied by complementary supplemental activity guides—written in both English and Spanish—that align with Common Core Standards that strengthen verbal, written and comprehension skills. Aimed at K-3rd grade students, these activities encourage children to engage in critical thinking activities and explore the themes of this book including conflict resolution, cultural diversity, individualism and family.
Camil joins the Storyline Online cast of readers including Oprah Winfrey, Rami Malek, Viola Davis, Allison Janney, Chris Pine, Kristen Bell, Justin Theroux, Michelle Yeoh, Marc Maron and more who have volunteered their time and talent to promote literacy and inspire a love of reading in children.
To watch Zombies Don’t Eat Veggies! / ¡Los Zombis No Comen Verduras! and all of the Storyline Online videos, visit storylineonline.net. Keep up with new videos in 2020 by subscribing to Storyline Online on YouTube and following Storyline Online on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Assets for Storyline Online®, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation and Jaime Camil’s new read aloud videos available here: sagaftra.foundation/storylineonlineassets/
ABOUT STORYLINE ONLINE
An Emmy®-nominated program of the non-profit SAG-AFTRA Foundation, Storyline Online® streams 59 videos at no cost to children, parents, and educators worldwide. The site receives over 20 million views every month and is endorsed by the American Federation of Teachers, and named one of the best websites of 2019 by the American Association of School Librarians. In addition to the website, Storyline Online offers a free app for iPhone and Chrome devices. Storyline Online, like all SAG-AFTRA Foundation programs, relies solely on support from gifts, grants and sponsorships to produce new read alouds. For more information, visit storylineonline.net.
ABOUT THE SAG-AFTRA FOUNDATION
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 award-winning children’s literacy program Storyline Online®. 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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