Barack and Michelle Obama reemerged on Thursday to read a children’s book on social media in an attempt to give “parents a break” as they continue to be in quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Daily Mail reported that the former president and First Lady shared a video of themselves at home reading the children’s book “The Word Collector,” which was written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. The couple also made a point of talking about the importance of libraries, particularly the their own Chicago Public Library.
“Michelle and I want to do our part to give all you parents a break today, so we’re reading ‘The Word Collector’ for @chipublib,” Barack tweeted. “It’s a fun book that vividly illustrates the transformative power of words––and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did.”
Michelle and I want to do our part to give all you parents a break today, so we’re reading “The Word Collector” for @chipublib. It’s a fun book that vividly illustrates the transformative power of words––and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did. pic.twitter.com/ADYbL6Dzg4
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) May 14, 2020
In the video, Barack and Michelle can be seen sitting in their home library.
“Welcome to Live from the Library. Today we thought we’d read you a story,” Barack says, with Michelle adding, “I remember my first trip to the library and how important I felt.”
“It was around age four. My library card was a key that unlocked a world of knowledge and experiences,” she continues as a childhood photo of herself is shown. “Public libraries are essential institutions and thats why we’re bring a new branch of the Chicago Public Library to the Obama Presidential Center on the South Side. When it opens, it will give families one more chance to explore their interests, learn, and engage with their communities. And we’re excited for you to visit one day.”
They then turned their attention to “The Word Collector,” with Barack explaining, “We chose this book because illustrates the transformative power of words. I love words.”
Once they finished reading the book, Michelle joked that her husband was “the word guy” and “looks kind of like Jerome,” the main character of the book.
“They have the same ears,” she said, with Barack answering, “Mine are a little bigger than Jerome’s.”
“A lot bigger,” Michelle countered with a smile.
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