Dame Julie Andrews is set to launch a podcast for children called ‘Julie’s Library: Story Time with Julie Andrews’.
The 84-year-old screen legend and her author daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton, 57 – whose father is set designer Tony Walton – have teamed up on the joint venture which will see the pair read children’s books.
Andrews – who also has daughters Amy, 46, and Joanna, 45, with late filmmaker Blake Edwards – says the aim is to "provide family listening pleasure" and "inspire meaningful conversations".
The ‘Mary Poppins’ star said: "When I became a parent, I passed the love of reading on to my children.
"My daughter and I have co-authored over 30 books for children and young adults, and our shared passion for the power of storytelling, literacy, and the arts remains fervent.
"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."
From April 29, six episodes will be available with new instalments added weekly.
The podcast couldn’t come sooner, with many children across the globe learning from home amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The ‘Enchanted’ star recently said the health crisis has brought out the "same sense of unity" in people as World War II.
Andrews was just four years old when World War II began in 1939, but she can see similarities between the war – which ended when she was 10 – and the current respiratory illness pandemic, particularly in the way humanity is coming together to "be compassionate and kind".
She explained: "We’re being very good and absorbing all the rules.
"There’s just so much out there at the moment and people being so wonderful and bonding. This is so much, to me, World War II in a way. I’m very much reminded of that because I was around at that time, believe it or not. And the sense of unity that it provides and the way people do bond and get together is just phenomenal."
The ‘Sound of Music’ star also urged her fans to "stay safe", and to "follow the rules" set out by governments around the world, including self-isolating at home in order to try and limit the spread of the virus.
She added: "I send my fondest love to everyone. Stay safe. Follow the rules. Be compassionate and kind if you can, which … I think everybody is. Keep in touch, reach out. Find the way you can reach out, which is what I’m doing as much as possible."
‘Julie’s Library: Story Time with Julie Andrews’ is available via Apple Podcasts.
Julie Andrews launching new podcast for children
