Former First Lady Michelle Obama has just announced that she will be doing her part to help Americans through the coronavirus pandemic by reading children’s books on PBS.
“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,” Michelle said in a statement, adding that she hopes it will give families a “much-needed break.”
I’m thrilled to share some of my favorite children’s books and give kids an opportunity to practice their reading (while giving families a much-needed break!).
Join me, @PBSKIDS, and @penguinrandom for read-alongs on Mondays at 12pm ET on @PBSKIDS Facebook and YouTube! https://t.co/839isAWKSt
— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) April 17, 2020
“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,” Michelle added.
With coronavirus forcing schools to close, parents have been looking for ways to entertain their little ones. That’s why “Mondays With Michelle Obama” has come as such a relief to many, and it is set to premiere on Monday at noon EST. During the weekly program, Michelle will be reading some of her favorite books, including “The Gruffalo,” “There’s a Dragon in Your Book,” “Miss Maple’s Seeds” and “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.”
Michelle isn’t the only celebrity who is reading children’s books during this outbreak, as Fox News host Dana Perino is doing the same thing.
“I remember learning from Laura Bush after 9/11 the important of making sure that you kept storytime for your children,” Perino recalled. “This is what she was telling Americans and, also, Barbara Bush, through her literacy initiative would always say that one of the most important things you could do to keep children calm and reassured … is to make sure that storytime was something that you tried to do every day.”
This comes a month after Michelle opened up to talk show host Ellen Degeneres about what life is like for her family in quarantine.
“Everybody’s home,” she said. “The girls are back because colleges are now online, so they’re off in their respective rooms doing their online classes. I think Barack [was] on a conference call; I just got off a conference call.”
“We’re just trying to keep a routine going, but we also have a little Netflix and chilling happening,” Michelle added.
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