Over a dazzling acting and singing career that’s spanned nearly eight decades, Dame Julie Andrews has been hailed for her perfect pitch, iconic leading roles, and charismatic stage presence. After tragically losing her four-octave soprano in 1997, Andrews found a new voice in children’s literature, co-authoring more than thirty books with her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton.
In 2020 the pair launched Julie’s Library, a storytime podcast where they bring their favorite children’s books alive with sound and music. In a note on the site, Andrews reminisced on the blessed escapism of books in war time:
“As a child, I read anything and everything I could get my hands on. There was no greater joy for me than to curl up with a good read. Books transported me – away from the World War II Blitz and into the realm of my imagination and other worlds and ideas…It is our hope that the stories and ideas we share on Julie’s Library will provide family listening pleasure, inspire meaningful conversations, and be a trusted resource for literary enjoyment and learning.”
Find a list of the children’s books featured on the Julie’s Library podcast below, and listen to them being read by the beloved icon here. For more kid lit recommendations, dive into the reading lists of Elton John, Hayao Miyazaki and LeVar Burton.
Bears Don’t Eat Egg Sandwiches by
The Wolf, The Duck & The Mouse by
From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea by
Morris Micklewhite & the Tangerine Dress by
Norman & the Nom Nom Factory by
On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein by
Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor by
Mr. Crum’s Potato Predicament by
Nightsong by
Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed by
Poetree by
(via Julie’s Library)