LOS ANGELES (June 1, 2018) – Just in time for National Doughnut Day, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Emmy® nominated program Storyline Online®(storylineonline.net) released its newest and most delicious children’s literacy video to date! Irish actor and comedian Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids, Get Shorty, Monsters vs. Aliens) reads the sweet and adventurous tale of Arnie the Doughnut (storylineonline.net/books/arnie-the-doughnut/) written and illustrated by Laurie Keller and published by Holt Henry & Co. – Macmillan Publishers.
Photo credit: SAG-AFTRA Foundation
At first glance, Arnie looks like an average doughnut—round, cakey, with a hole in the middle, iced and donning candy-colored sprinkled. Made at one of the best bakeries in town, alongside dozens of other sweet dunkers, crullers and pastries, Arnie the Doughnut is just a doughnut, right? WRONG! Not if Arnie has anything to say about it, and for a doughnut, he sure has an awful lot to say.
Can Arnie change the digestive fate of all doughnuts—or at least his own? Viewers will have to watch O’Dowd’s masterful, comedic voicing of a major cast of doughnuts (at least a baker’s dozen), along with several doughnut eaters, in order to find out. Arnie the Doughnut is a good old-fashioned story about an anthropomorphic doughnut with a nutty imagination and a knack for getting along.
At the conclusion of his nearly 14-minute read aloud, O’Dowd shares why he chose the book, “It illustrates that two people who come from very different backgrounds – the eater and the eatee – can come together and compromise. And decide that together, eating doesn’t need to take place at all. They can just be friends.”
“We think Chris’ reading of Arnie the Doughnut is one of the very best in our literacy library,” said Cyd Wilson, Executive Director of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. “He is an incredibly talented and funny actor and his character voices for Arnie and all of the doughnuts are going to keep kids giggling and glued to the book.”
Chris O’Dowd, who also voices the character of ‘Tigger’ in Disney’s upcoming Christopher Robin film, is the latest actor to join the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s expanding cast of Storyline Online® readers that includes Kristen Bell, Kevin Costner, Viola Davis, Sarah Silverman, James Earl Jones, Chris Pine, Christian Slater, Wanda Sykes, Justin Theroux, Lily Tomlin, Betty White, Elijah Wood and more. Storyline Online® features actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced, original illustrations.
The Emmy® nominated children’s literacy program of the nonprofit SAG-AFTRA Foundation, Storyline Online streams 48 videos at no cost to children, parents, and educators worldwide, and receives more than 6 million views every month.
As with all Storyline Online videos, Arnie the Doughnut comes with a supplemental activity guide aligned with Common Core Standards that strengthens verbal, written and comprehension skills. Aimed at students in 1st and 2nd grades, these activities encourage students to engage in critical thinking and ponder the themes from the book including imagination, humor, friendship and problem-solving.
In addition, Storyline Online has an app for iPhone and Android. The app features the full digital library of Storyline Online videos, complimentary educational activity guides and more.
To watch Arnie the Doughnut and all of Storyline Online videos, visit storylineonline.net, and subscribe to youtube.com/storylineonline. Keep up with new videos to be released throughout 2018 by following @StorylineOnline on Twitter and /StorylineOnline on Facebook.