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Michelle Obama to lead weekly online story time series for kids amid pandemic

Former first lady Michelle Obama will be hosting a livestreame story time session every week for children over the next month as schools across the country remain closed amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Penguin Young Readers, Random House Children’s Books and PBS Kids announced on Friday that the former first lady will be reading some of her favorite children’s books over the next four weeks, starting Monday, as part of a collaborative effort with the organizations.

The four-week series, dubbed “Mondays with Michelle Obama,” will feature Obama reading one book during a story session that will be streamed live at noon Eastern from the PBS Kids’s Facebook page and YouTube channel as well as Penguin Random House’s Facebook page.

The companies said in an announcement that each of the four sessions will also be available for viewing “on demand on all of those platforms immediately thereafter.”

The four books Obama will be reading as part of the initiative are “The Gruffalo,” “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” “Miss Maple’s Seeds” and “There’s a Dragon in Your Book.”

“As a little kid, I loved to read aloud,” she said in a statement on Friday. “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.”

“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 added. 

The effort by Obama follows similar story time reading efforts launched by celebrities in recent weeks, including country music legend Dolly Parton and former “Reading Rainbow” host Levar Burton.

The move comes as states across the country have ordered droves of schools closed in conjunction with certain businesses in a bid to limit the spread of COVID-19. 

According to the latest John Hopkins University data, more than 755,000 cases of the virus have been recorded in the U.S., as well as more than 40,000 deaths and roughly 67,000 recoveries.

Tags Coronavirus Michelle Obama Michelle Obama PBS Penguin Random House

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