Aniston and Celebs Narrate 'Loukoumi' (Part 1)

"Do something nice for someone today."

That's the message behind Nick Katsoris' latest book, Loukoumi's Good Deeds. And yes, it is a children's book, but it's one we can all learn from, and I'm not the only one who thinks so. Katsoris was joined by a bunch of stars including Jennifer Aniston, her father John Aniston from Days of Our Lives, Gloria Gaynor, Olympia Dukakis, CBS News anchor Alexis Christoforous, Frank Dicopoulos of Guiding Light, and American Idol's Constantine Maroulis in bringing Loukoumi and her friends to life by narrating the story on CD.

The theme for Good Deeds comes from a true story that occurred 15 years ago when Katsoris was doing his two-year internship for a judge.

"On the last day, I came to my office, and there was a present on my desk, and I open up the box, and it's these beautiful gold cufflinks. No car, no nothing," recalled Katsoris. "About an hour later, Daisy, the cleaning lady, came in and asked, 'Did you like my present?' Now, Daisy didn't have a lot of money, so I asked her why she had bought me this beautiful gift. She replied, 'Because you said, 'Good morning,' to me every day.' And I still carry that story with me — it makes me want to teach kids that something as simple as saying good morning makes a difference."

Another example Katsoris gave was a child helping a friend draw a card for his father when he didn't have the money to buy him a gift for his birthday. In the spirit of that kind of giving, the launch of Good Deeds will be celebrated in 200 Barnes and Noble stores across the country with craft opportunities for children to draw a picture for someone they love. These events will begin on April 1 in New York City, and you can find your local event on the website under Events — just select your state and scroll down to the city nearest you.

So what about the star power? Well, it turns out doing charity work really is a good thing — Katsoris was friends with John Aniston through another charity, and after talking to him about Good Deeds, it was decided that John and Jennifer would both lend their voices to the project. The rest of the celebrities were also contacts though charity work, and, of course, all were excited to be a part of it, especially since Good Deeds benefits a very worthy cause — St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Watch for Part 2 of Kristen's interview with author Nick Katsoris, coming soon to Tonic!

Photos courtesy of Nick Katsoris. Top: John Aniston lending his voice to the CD version of the book; Bottom: Author Nick Katsoris.