During the coronavirus pandemic, which finds millions of parents everywhere in search of new ways for their kids to fill their days outside of school work, watching movies or FaceTime playdates, former first lady and bestselling author Michelle Obama has got it covered.
Obama, in a special arrangement with Penguin Young Readers, Random House Children’s Books and PBS KIDS, will be hosting “Mondays with Michelle Obama” kicking off at 11 a.m. April 20. The Facebook and YouTube four-part weekly series (through May 11) will feature Obama reading classic children’s storybooks aloud as part of the recently announced “Read Together, Be Together” online initiative.
The four books are:
April 20: “The Gruffalo,” by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler
April 27: “There’s a Dragon in Your Book,” by Tom Fletcher and illustrated by Greg Abbott
May 4: “Miss Maple’s Seeds,” written and illustrated by Eliza Wheeler
May 11: “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle
The series will be livestreamed simultaneously on PBS KIDS’ Facebook page and YouTube channel and will remain available for viewing on demand on all of those platforms immediately thereafter.
“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 via statement. “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).”
The new initiative was set to launch this summer as part of the PBS “Read Along!” YouTube series, which has featured Brad Meltzer (“Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum”), Marc Brown (“Arthur”), Victoria Kann (“Pinkalicious & Peterrific”), Angela Santomero (“Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood”).
