Adam Brody Read My Book Out Loud

Adam Brody read my book out loud.

Not a video I made. Not something I paid for. Storyline Online picked Petey Perfectpants and the Silly Sock Puppet Problem, and Adam Brody sat down and read the whole thing, cover to cover, for any kid in the world who wants to watch it. Free, forever.

It went live on September 8, which is International Literacy Day.

What Storyline Online is, if you haven't run into it

It's the children's literacy program of the nonprofit SAG-AFTRA Foundation. Actors read picture books out loud, the illustrations get animated, and the whole library sits online free, 24 hours a day. Teachers use it. Librarians use it. It's endorsed by the American Federation of Teachers and the American Library Association, and it has won an Emmy.

The library includes read-alouds by Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey, Viola Davis, John Lithgow, Angela Bassett, Rami Malek and Michelle Yeoh. Petey is number 103.

Here's the part most people don't know. The actors choose the books they read. Nobody assigns them. That's the part I like best, because it means somebody read a description of a kid who cannot stop being perfect and a sock puppet with no manners, and picked that one on purpose.

What he said about it

"The lesson of the book, which I really like, is that while it's good to have goals and work hard to achieve them, the world is imperfect. Sometimes it can be good to break out of your routine, and even better to have a friend or someone in your life who shows you another way to do things, enjoy life and achieve your goals."

That's the book. He got it exactly right.

Courtney B. Vance, President and Chairman of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, said this:

"Children are under so much pressure to get things right, and I love that this story reminds them that there is joy, growth and connection to be found in the imperfect moments."

Why I wrote Petey in the first place

I've been in a lot of classrooms. Over 30 years of them, doing magic and ventriloquism for kids. And there is always at least one kid in that room who will not raise a hand unless they are completely certain they're right.

That kid isn't broken. That kid is careful. But careful is a lonely way to spend second grade.

So I wrote a boy who does everything right and still can't make a friend, and then I handed him a sock puppet with no manners whatsoever. The puppet is the part of Petey he keeps locked up. Turns out that's the part the other kids actually like.

Gary Wilkinson illustrated it, and the lunchroom scene alone is worth the price of the book.

If you're a teacher or a librarian

Every Storyline Online video comes with a free activity guide aligned to Common Core Standards. You don't need a copy of the book to use the video, and you don't need my permission. Play it, use the guide, done.

If you want the real thing in the room, the hardcover is here and I'll sign it. I also do school visits, where I read from these books and bring the puppets.

Go watch it

It runs just under seven minutes. Put it on for your kid tonight and watch their face when the sock puppet won't come off.

Watch Adam Brody read Petey Perfectpants and the Silly Sock Puppet Problem

Then come back and get the copy I sign by hand.

Magically,
Jimmy