Welcome to this Treasure Chest of Free Stuff.
Everyone loves listening to a good story, especially when it’s told or read by a talented story teller. Today’s online resource is a gem that can be enjoyed by “children” of all ages. I’ve only been a child “at heart” for many years, but I thoroughly enjoy listening to the stories at Storyline Online. This one’s filed under Content & Curriculum.
Storyline Online (online resource) This is a free online collection of delightful and high quality children’s stories that are read aloud by professional actors. Each story is introduced by the actor who reads it. As the story is read, illustrations from the book are displayed onscreen. Each story is packaged as a flash movie, so a flash player is required. Each story is also accompanied by a set of suggested activities that can be downloaded in pdf format.
Storyline Online is presented by the Screen Actors Guild Foundation, with a grant from Verizon. It is a completely free resource, without advertising. Altogether, this is a resource of exceptionally high quality.
At present, the site offers the following 17 stories:
Enemy Pie (Derek Munson) read by Camryn Manheim
Romeow and Drooliet (Nina Laden) read by Haylie Duff
White Socks Only (Evelyn Coleman) read by Amber Rose Tamblyn
When Pigasso met Mootisse (Nina Laden) read by Eric Close
Dad, Are You the Tooth Fairy? (Jason Alexander) read by Jason Alexander
Me and My Cat (Satoshi Kitamura) read by Elijah Wood
The Polar Express (Chris Van Allsburg) read by Lou Diamond Phillips
Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch (Eileen Spinelli) read by Hector Elizondo
Private I. Guana (Nina Laden) read by Esai Morales
A Bad Case of Stripes (David Shannon) read by Sean Astin
Brave Irene (William Steig) read by Al Gore
Knots on a Counting Rope (Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault) read by Bonnie Bartlett and William Daniels)
My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother (Patricia Polacco) read by Melissa Gilbert
Thank You, Mr. Falker (Patricia Polacco) read by Jane Kaczmarek
The Night I Followed the Dog (Nina Laden) read by Amanda Bynes
No Mirrors in My Nana’s House (Ysaye M. Barnwell) read by Tia and Tamera Mowry
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge (Mem Fox) read by BradleyWhitford
