Let Michelle Obama Be Your Substitute At-home Teacher With Her New Reading Program (Video)

Though many schools may be closed due to the spread of coronavirus, academic learning must go on. This means children taking to the web for distance lessons, as well as parents stepping in as part-time teachers. But, one person is hoping to give parents and online teachers a brief reprieve as she takes over with storytime. And that person is former first lady Michelle Obama.

On Friday, Obama took to Twitter to announce her new partnership with PBS Kids and Penguin Random House to host a weekly read-along series called, “Mondays with Michelle Obama.”

The series, which launched on April 20, will run through May 11. Obama explained, she will read some of her own favorite children’s books, sharing her own love of reading with children of all ages.

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“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 in a statement.

On Monday, April 27, at 12 noon ET, Obama will share a read-a-long of "There’s a Dragon in Your Book," written by Tom Fletcher and illustrated by Greg Abbott.

On Monday, May 4, at 12 noon ET, she will share a reading of "Miss Maple’s Seeds" with story and pictures by Eliza Wheeler.

And, on Monday, May 11, at 12 noon ET, she will read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle.

“Mondays with Michelle Obama” will be livestreamed simultaneously on the PBS KIDS’ Facebook page and its YouTube channel, as well as on Penguin Random House’s Facebook page. The recordings will remain available for viewing on-demand on all of those platforms immediately after.

Beyond sharing the readings, PBS is also offering a number of extra activities including resources for each of the books available at www.readtogetherbetogether.com and on pbskidsforparents.org.