Penguin Random House & PBS Kids Launch Mondays with Michelle Obama

Penguin Young Readers, Random House Children’s Books and PBS Kids have collaborated with former First Lady Michelle Obama for the read-along series Mondays with Michelle.

In support of the Penguin Random House literacy initiative Read Together, Be Together and PBS Kids’ read-along effort on Facebook and YouTube, the four-week series of videos features Obama reading aloud from beloved children’s books. Mondays with Michelle Obama will be live-streamed on PBS Kids’ Facebook page and YouTube channel, and on Penguin Random House’s Facebook page. The episodes will remain available for viewing on-demand on each platform immediately after streaming.

Mondays with Michelle Obama kicks off today (April 20) at 12 p.m. and will air every Monday through May 11. The four books Obama will read are The Gruffalo, There’s a Dragon in Your Book, Miss Maple’s Seeds and The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Obama said: “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. 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).”