Michelle Obama Will Read Kids’ Books In Free Livestreaming Series
Michelle Obama is trying to make life in quarantine a little easier for kids, and maybe for their parents, too. According to Variety, the former first lady will be reading popular children’s picture books aloud via livestream in a limited series over the next four weeks.
In the series, titled Mondays With Michelle Obama, Obama plans to read from a different kids’ book every Monday at noon EST starting April 20 and running through May 11. The project is in collaboration with Random House Children’s Books, Penguin Young Readers and PBS Kids.
Each video in the series will be livestreamed on YouTube, PBS Kids’ Facebook Page and Penguin Random House’s Facebook page. The videos will remain available after the livestreams as well.
“As a little kid, I loved to read aloud. And when I became a parent, I found such joy in sharing the magic of storytelling with my own children — and then later, as First Lady, with kids everywhere,” Obama said in a statement.
She continued by saying that she hoped the reading specials would provide stress relief for many families struggling with quarantine.
“At this time when so many families are under so much stress, I’m excited to give kids a chance to practice their reading and hear some wonderful stories (and to give parents and caretakers a much-needed break),” she continued.
My friend @MichelleObama makes the world a better place. pic.twitter.com/0Bq82SRqUH
— Ellen DeGeneres (@EllenDeGeneres) March 23, 2020
The four books Obama will read are The Gruffalo, written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, on April 20; There’s a Dragon in Your Book, written by Tom Fletcher and illustrated by Greg Abbott, on April 27; Miss Maple’s Seeds, written and illustrated by Eliza Wheeler, on May 4; and The Very Hungry Caterpillar, written and illustrated by Eric Carle, on May 11.
Penguin Random House is also making a collection of activities and resources related to each book in the series available to children online at readtogetherbetogether.com.
When she’s not reading to kids, Obama and the rest of her family appear to be living fairly normal quarantine lives. In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, the former first lady said that the family is trying to stick to a routine to find some order in their days. She said that both her daughters are home because their college classes are all online and that she’s not always totally sure what Barack is up to. She also acknowledged that, while they try to find ways to be productive, they do a fair bit of “Netflix and chilling.”
