The Gotham Group has partnered with a variety of children’s nonprofits in order to develop a YouTube channel dedicated to childhood reading and storytelling. The channel, Gotham Reads, will feature a vast array of authors, filmmakers, celebrities, and other content creators reading their favorite children’s books and discussing creativity.

Gotham Reads launched on Wednesday, April 22nd with five videos:

• Tony DiTerlizzi (The Spiderwick Chronicles) reading his book Ted
• Gris Grimley (Neil Gaiman’s The Dangerous Alphabet) reading his Old Macdonald Had a Farm
• Jerry Spinelli reading his book Stargirl
• Butch Hartman (Fairly OddParents) reading Green Eggs and Ham  by Dr. Seuss
• AnnaSophia Robb (Little Fires Everywhere) reading  The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak

However, since the channel’s creation, The Gotham Group has added four more videos and will continue posting stories every few days. Future contributors include DJ MacHale (Pendragon); Ethan Nicolle (Brave Ollie Possum); Angela DiTerlizzi (Some Bugs); Lin Oliver (Hank Zipzer with Henry Winkler); film director and author Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black, new book Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother: Memoirs of a Neurotic Filmmaker); Eileen Spinelli (Somebody Loves You Mr. Hatch); Dan Yaccarino (Oswald);  Scott Sonneborn (Attack of the Invisible Cats); Elanna Allen (Itsy Mitsy Runs Away); Jarrett Krosocska (Lunch Lady series) and Selwyn Seyfu Hinds (1,000 Miles, Washington Black, Prince of Cats).

If you have little ones, Gotham Reads could be a great way to keep them entertained and engaged with storytelling and creativity. Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Gotham’s Founder & CEO, says “Authors, illustrators, screenwriters and content creators are eager to help bring some solace and normalcy to children around the world during these challenging times.  Storytelling is an essential part of our lives.  No one knows that better than these artists, whose unique voices have entertained and comforted  millions of children for decades.”

It’s also notable that Gotham Reads content will be shared across a network of affiliated children’s organizations in an effort to reach as many quarantined children as possible. Those organizations include  826LA, Common Sense Media,  Girls Inc., Imagine LA, P.S. Arts, Save the Children, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and Young Storytellers. 

You can check out Gotham Reads for yourself here!