April is Autism Awareness Month, and actor and advocate Holly Robinson Peete is helping to highlight this special month with the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s global children’s literacy program Storyline Online®. Known for her roles in television classics including 21 Jump Street, Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper and For Your Love, Robinson Peete is also a bestselling author and proud spokesperson for autism awareness, having shared about the joys and challenges of raising a child with autism for several decades.
Fresh off of her run in The Masked Singer, Robinson Peete brings her talents to Storyline Online by reading her very own book My Brother Charlie, based on her son and co-written by her daughter Ryan Elizabeth Peete, who knows firsthand what it’s like to grow up with a sibling with autism. The award-winning book is illustrated by Shawn W. Evans and published by Scholastic Press.
The Peete’s storytelling and Evans’ illustrations bring Charlie’s story to life and illuminate how his brain works in a special way. While it's harder for Charlie to make friends or show his true feelings, for everything that Charlie can't do well, there are plenty more things that he's good at. Charlie knows the names of all the American presidents and can even play the piano better than anyone he knows.
SAG-AFTRA Foundation President Courtney B. Vance is delighted to welcome My Brother Charlie to the Storyline Online library this April to recognize Autism Awareness Month.
“We are excited to introduce Holly Robinson Peete as our newest reader and author in our Storyline Online family. Whether you are a caregiver, parent, sibling, friend, or an individual who has autism, you will take a valuable lesson away from this heart-warming story about human connection, as well as the things that make us different, make us special,” says Vance. “My Brother Charlie is truly a family affair, which makes the message even more personal and profound. We believe this read-aloud will serve as a guide for anyone who wants to understand someone in their life who happens to have autism, and we hope it will be a wonderful new resource to support Autism Awareness Month,” says Vance.
As with all Storyline Online read-alouds, My Brother Charlie is accompanied by a complementary supplemental activity guide (link) for teachers that aligns with Common Core Standards that strengthen verbal, written and comprehension skills. My Brother Charlie has themes of love, patience, acceptance, family and uniqueness. This book is aimed towards students in 1st through 3rd grades.
With over 900 million views worldwide, Storyline Online has been a trusted educational brand and free literacy resource for teachers and parents since 2001. Storyline Online remains committed to providing extra help to teachers in classrooms and parents with school-age children at home.
Robinson Peete joins the illustrious cast of Storyline Online readers including Angela Bassett, Kristen Bell, Connie Britton, Keith Carradine, Terry Crews, Viola Davis, Rosario Dawson, Cynthia Erivo, Sutton Foster, Jennifer Garner, Allison Janney, John Lithgow, Seth Meyers, Chris Pine, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Justin Theroux, Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Yeoh, and dozens more who have volunteered their time and talent to promote literacy and inspire a love of reading in hundreds of millions of children worldwide.
To watch My Brother Charlie and all of Storyline Online’s read-alouds, visit storylineonline.net. Keep up with new videos by subscribing to Storyline Online on YouTube and following Storyline Online on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Holly Robinson Peete reads for the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s children's literacy program Storyline Online® / Photo courtesy of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation
ABOUT STORYLINE ONLINE®
An Emmy®-nominated program of the nonprofit SAG-AFTRA Foundation, Storyline Online® streams 76 videos at no cost to children, parents, and educators worldwide. The site is endorsed by the American Federation of Teachers and the American Library Association, as well as named one of the best websites by the American Association of School Librarians. In addition to the website, Storyline Online offers a free app for iPhone and Google devices. Storyline Online, like all SAG-AFTRA Foundation programs, relies solely on support from gifts, grants and sponsorships to produce new content. For more information, visit storylineonline.net.
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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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