Riot Headline The Best Books of 2024
Children's

10 Sexy Celebrities Reading Children’s Books

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Kate Scott

Staff Writer

Kate Scott is a bookstagrammer and strategic web designer serving women business owners and creative entrepreneurs. Follow her on Instagram @parchmentgirl and visit her website at katescott.co/books.

A year ago Rioter Minh Le imagined five of Hollywood’s sexiest men reading children’s books. Well, imagine no more. Here are ten sexy celebrities reading children’s stories–for real, you guys.

1. Richard Armitage reads Trouble at the Dinosaur Café by Brian Moses

It’s always a good idea to start out a list like this with a sexy Brit. Queue an eight-years-younger Richard Armitage dressed like a preppy schoolboy. This video may or may not involve him talking to a stuffed animal. Oh, and if this isn’t enough Armitage for you, check out these videos of Richard reading Winnie in Winter by Valerie Thomas, I’m Not Going Out There by Paul Bright, The Lost Acorns by An Vrombaut, and Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown. 

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5wag–kIvM[/youtube]

2. Justin Bieber reads The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss

Okay, I may be using “sexy” very, very loosely here. But at least he’s supporting children’s literacy, right?

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFJ9ze7i4JM[/youtube]

3. LeVar Burton reads The Music in Derrick’s Heart by Gwendolyn Battle-Lavert

This list would not be complete without including the greatest celebrity champion of children’s literature.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBLpvn3OMvs[/youtube]

4. Benedict Cumberbatch reads The Little Red Hen

Well this is just mind-numbingly adorable.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKnvC67ECMM[/youtube]

5. James Earl Jones reads To Be a Drum by Evenlyn Coleman

James Earl Jones can make anything sound epic and children’s stories are no exception. Jones also talks about how he overcame dyslexia and stuttering to become the great speaker we know him as today.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BVBBe56MUg[/youtube]

6. John Krasinski reads The Gingerbread Man

Alas, we don’t actually get to see Krasinski’s face. It seems one cannot have everything in life, but the illustrations are gorgeous. He also read Aladdin on the same YouTube channel.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NjDUMeBaUo&list=PLbpi6ZahtOH6WqEc2d_xcPz0LXAbjfqUk&index=3[/youtube]

7. Vanessa Marano & Katie Leclerc read Chester’s Way by Kevin Henkes

What’s cool about this one is that Katie signs the book while Vanessa reads it.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC8YpmnzbU8[/youtube]

8. Meryl Streep reads The Sign on Rosie’s Door by Maurice Sendak

Meryl Streep reading a children’s book is just as amazing as everything else Meryl Streep does.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d79U3b9Dp54[/youtube]

9. Betty White reads Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion

…Because Betty White will always be sexy.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j0OY3236jw[/youtube]

10. Elijah Wood reads Me and My Cat? by Satoshi Kitamura

Read, Frodo! Read!

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDzISc6o_Xs&index=6&list=PLbpi6ZahtOH6WqEc2d_xcPz0LXAbjfqUk[/youtube]

There are a bunch of other videos of celebrities reading children’s books, like this clip of Morgan Freeman reading The Cat in the Hat or this one of Whoopi Goldberg reading Shel Silverstein for Banned Books Week. And let’s not forget the soothing vocals of Emma Thompson reading from The Further Tales of Peter Rabbit.

There’s also an entire channel dedicated to celebrities reading children’s stories. It’s called Storyline Online and it features the likes of Annette Bening, Al Gore, Hector Elizondo, and many more. Speakaboos also has a playlist of celebrities reading fairytales.