Former US first lady, Michelle Obama, will read some of her “favorite children’s books and give kids an opportunity to practice their reading” on the PBS Kids channel as part of efforts to help parents with their caretaking efforts at home during the coronavirus pandemic.
Mrs. Obama took to Twitter on Friday evening to make the revelation. The show will be shown on the PBS Kids’ Facebook and YouTube accounts on Mondays at 12pm ET.
The books for the series have been announced.
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On April 20, the former first lady will read The Gruffalo, a book illustrated by Axel Scheffler. And on the last Monday in the month, Mrs. Obama will read Tom Fletcher’s There’s a Dragon in Your Book, illustrated by Greg Abbott.
Eliza Wheeler’s Miss Maple’s Seeds and Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar will be read on May 4 and on May 11 respectively.
In a statement, Mrs. Obama connected her love of reading as a child to the project she is taking on.
“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,” the statement said.
She added that, “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).”
This is not the first time Mrs. Obama has taken to new media to share the contents of a book. Last year, she partnered with YouTube to discuss her best-selling book Becoming along with a panel of YouTube content creators.
Mrs. Obama, who has in recent days added her voice to calls for US lawmakers to pass a vote by mail law, is also rumoured as a possible choice for a running mate for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
