These nine celebrities are so much more than famous faces with acting or singing chops. They're self-proclaimed book nerds, parents who read to their kids, and all-around champions of literacy. Some are even authors themselves. All of them use their voices to promote the power of reading, and we applaud them for it! Here are our nine favorite celebrity readers this year.
1. Sarah Jessica Parker, who narrated our new Open a World of Possible video. A champion of literacy, ardent book lover, and mom of three, she is the perfect person to help us share our mission around kids and reading.
2. Taylor Swift, who came to our offices to talk with a group of kids about her passion for reading and writing. You can watch the full "Reading Opens a World of Possible" video to hear Tay reflect on the books and characters that inspire her, how reading helped her build confidence and stand up to bullies, and how journaling influenced her songwriting. "Hermione is an amazing character in literature." That's a direct quote. Need we say more?
3. Actress Reese Witherspoon, who was quoted in The New York Times as saying "authors are my rock stars." Also, when she was in high school, she won an award for reading the most books that were not on the required reading list. Reese, we bow down to you.
4. Nick Cannon, for writing his first children's book, Roc and Roe's Twelve Days of Christmas. The countdown to Christmas has never been so adorable!
Jack Black, for playing R.L. Stine in the upcoming Goosebumps movie. He's a great dad, he loves to read, and he does one heck of an R.L. Stine impression! We cannot wait to see this film!
Madison Beer, brand ambassador for Ralph Lauren's new Children's Literacy Program. She promoting the power of reading this year and shared her favorite books with us: The Hunger Games, The Giving Tree, The Fault in Our Stars, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Global superstar Usher, who hosted the "BIGGERTHAN WORDS" webcast all about the power of books. He spoke with kids about how empowering a book can be and how he loves to steal quiet time to read with his own children. Kids from classrooms around the world were on their feet dancing and singing in the spirit of reading. Watch the replay here!
Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook, who opened his first “Russell’s Reading Room” at North Highland Elementary this year. He helped fill the room with 1,200 books for kids and he's projected to launch two more Russell’s Reading Rooms within a year’s time through his Why Not? Foundation.
Actor Bill Hader, who gave Scholastic Book Fairs a major shout out in a New York Times interview earlier this year. "I enjoyed reading as a kid. I think the reason I like Amazon so much is because it taps into the excitement of ordering Scholastic books in elementary school. You’d get that little catalog and check off two or three books, and a week later you come into class and there would be a parcel on your desk — it was like Christmas!"
