Beloved children’s book characters like Madeline, Curious George, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Babar the Elephant and The Very Hungry Caterpillar star in a new video (embedded above) to promote the literacy nonprofit, Reading Is Fundamental.

The video urges readers to take the the Book People Unite pledge: “declare your belief in the transformative power of books, especially for young minds. Encourage your friends to join the movement too by sharing online and you’ll get a download of the full Book People Unite track. We’ll also follow up with news on the Book People Unite movement.”

The catchy song in the video was produced by The Roots with vocal support from Jack Black, Chris Martin, John Legend, Regina Spektor, Jim James, Nate Ruess, Jason Schwartzman, Melanie Fiona, Carrie Brownstein and Consequence. Follow this link to see reading pledges from these celebrities.

Sleater-Kinney co-founder and Portlandia star Carrie Brownstein has inked a book deal with Riverhead Books.

According to the publisher, the book will tell the story of “her life in music, from ardent fan to pioneering female guitarist to comedic performer and luminary of the independent rock world.” Jud Laghi from the Jud Laghi Agency negotiated the deal with editor Megan Lynch.

In addition to working as a songwriter, Brownstein has written for The New York Times, The Believer, Slate and a Twitter page with 36,000 followers. Earlier this year, Grand Central acquired a Portlandia inspired book from Brownstein and her co-star, Fred Armisen.

Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, the creators and stars of the IFC’s Portlandia, are writing a travel guide to the television show that is due out this fall.

Portlandia: A Guide for Visitors will look like any other guidebook with walling tours of the city and information about landmarks and residents, but it will do so from the show’s comical perspective.

Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group, will publish the book in November. Grand Central executive editor Ben Greenberg acquired the title. He stated:  “Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein, Bill Oakley and Jon Krisel have created such a unique, surreal world in Portlandia, and the book will allow fans to explore that world even further.”