Tiffany Haddish, Lupita Nyong’o, Common, Jill Scott and More to Star in Netflix Reading Series for Preschoolers

Netflix is set to produce a live-action series for preschoolers, and they will continue to celebrate Black voices.

The streaming giant ordered twelve five-minutes episodes of Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices which will feature Black artists reading stories that highlight the Black experience.

Tiffany Haddish, Lupita Nyong’o, and Common are among the slew of artists who will be participating in this series. Nyong’o will be reading her own story “Sulwe,” while Haddish will read “I Love My Hair” by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley, and Common “Let’s Talk About Race” by Julius Lester.

The purpose of the series is to give parents tools to have uncomfortable conversations about race, identity, respect, justice, and action.

“This series creates a vehicle for children and families to begin to have conversations around concepts of racial identity and social justice through prolific Black voices,” added creative producer Kevin A. Clark. “I’m excited to be part of a project that leverages the power of Black storytellers and provides an opportunity for children to see themselves and their communities on screen.”

Below is a list of all the participants and the books they will be reading:

Tiffany Haddish reads “I Love My Hair” by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley. Illustration by E.B. Lewis

Grace Byers reads “I Am Enough,” by Grace Byers. Illustration by Keturah A. Bobo

Caleb McLaughlin reads “Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut,” by Derrick Barnes. Illustration by Gordon C. James

Lupita Nyong’o reads “Sulwe,” by Lupita Nyong’o. Illustration by Vashti Harrison

Marsai Martin reads “ABC’s For Girls Like Me,” by Melanie Goolsby. Illustration by Princess Kay

Karamo Brown reads “I Am Perfectly Designed,” by Karamo Brown. Illustration by Anoosha Syed

Jill Scott reads “Pretty Brown Face” and “Brown Boy Joy,” by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Thomishia Booker respectively. Illustration by Brian Pinkney and Thomishia Booker

Misty Copeland reads “Firebird,” by Misty Copeland. Illustration by Christopher Myers

Common reads “Let’s Talk About Race,” by Julius Lester. Illustration by Karen Barbour

Jacqueline Woodson reads “The Day You Begin,” by Jacqueline Woodson. Illustration by Rafael Lopez

Kendrick Sampson reads “Anti-Racist Baby,” by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi. Illustration by Ashley Lukashevsky

Marley Dias reads “We March,” written by Shane W. Evans. Illustration by Shane W. Evans