Taika Waititi, Meryl Streep, and Chris Hemsworth Are the Latest Celebs to Read Children's Books for Charity

Taika Waititi is the latest celebrity to read a children's book for charity, and he's calling in every single favor he has to make it happen. In a new series, Waititi and his "friends" ("When I say I'm gonna be joined by friends, I think I just mean celebrities," he admits in the trailer) will read the classic Roald Dahl novel, James and the Giant Peach, to benefit Partners in Health. The line-up is extremely "dream dinner party" material, with Waititi recruiting the likes of Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Ryan Reynolds, Sarah Paulson, Cara Delevingne, Billy Porter, Lupita Nyong'o, Mindy Kaling, Olivia Wilde, Beanie Feldstein, and Gordon Ramsay. (That seriously isn't even the whole list.)

The first two episodes are already out, with the first featuring two Hemsworths for the price of one (Chris Hemsworth and Liam Hemsworth, for those unaware), and Nick Kroll. The second stars Streep and Benedict Cumberbatch, both having the time of their lives doing silly accents.

New episodes air on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and can be found on the Roald Dahl HQ YouTube channel.

They aren't, of course, the only A-listers and public figures who have participated in virtual story time during the coronavirus pandemic.

Michelle Obama just can't stop herself from being a delight. On an episode of her Read Along Mondays series for PBS, she was joined by her husband, former President Barack Obama, who you'll probably recognize. The Obamas read Julia Sarcone-Roach's book, The Bear Ate Your Sandwich, and fully committed to their roles with sniffling and dog barking.

Every Monday, the former first lady picks a book to virtually read to all the young kids stuck at home, but this is definitely one of those things adults can find a lot of comfort in, too.

For everyone still not taking quarantine seriously, Samuel L. Jackson also has a message for you, and he's presented it in the style of a children's bedtime story: Stay the F--- at Home. In a remote appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the actor read the new poem for the world, and while it's maybe not the most kid-friendly book, he got his point across. "Stay at home as if your name was Quentin Quarantino," he implored.

If the book sounds familiar, it's probably because it was written by Adam Mansbach, the same author who gave us Go the F--- to Sleep. "We talked about what we could do remind people of social distancing and where we are in these times now," Jackson said, who did the reading to raise money for Feeding America.

Previously, Frozenstar Josh Gad began contributing to the cause of keeping cooped-up kids entertained by doing daily reading sessions on his Twitter feed.

Meanwhile, parent-friendly favorites like Chris Evans chipped into the ongoing Instagram series called #SaveWithStories, organized by Jennifer Garner and Amy Adams, in which basically every Hollywoodite you love has been filming video of themselves reading a children's book. The series, which is ideal in the age of social distancing, was created in effort to raise money for Save the Children and No Kid Hungry, two organizations providing food and education materials to young ones while schools are closed during the COVID-19 crisis.

"Thirty million children rely on school for food, and with school closures across the country, these children are extra vulnerable," Adams said in the introductory video, where she was joined by Garner, who chimed in with, "We had an idea. We're gonna read you books!"

So far, the series has featured Evans, noted canine lover, reading If You Give a Dog a Donut, Margot Robbie doing some creative voicework, and Reese Witherspoon teaching a valuable lesson about believing. The star-studded list of participants doesn't end there, with Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Emilia Clarke, Gabrielle Union, Hilary Duff, Kerry Washington, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger, Noah Centineo, Lucy Liu, Demi Lovato, Jamie Lee Curtis, Camila Cabello, Sia, Brie Larson, Jeff Goldblum, Kelly Clarkson, Lupita Nyong'o, and more also lending their reading skills to the cause.

Educational Kids Shows to Stream During School Closures

You can find all the videos at the #SaveWithStories Instagram. Check out a few of them below.