Barack And Michelle Obama Are Reading To Kids To 'Give Parents A Break'

Watch Barack and Michelle Obama read The World Collector on Twitter as a part of the Live From the Library initiative

America’s mom and dad are here to the rescue! Today, Barack and Michelle Obama read The World Collector by Peter H. Reynolds online in order to give parents a well-deserved break. This is part of the Live From the Library initiative — organized by the Chicago Public Library — which the Obamas are a part of. Every Thursday at 10 a.m., a new story time video gets dropped on social media and today was our lucky day.

As early as March, schools across the country shut down due to the pandemic crisis, and parents have taken on the roles of teachers. Obama wrote, “Michelle and I want to do our part to give all you parents a break today, so we’re reading ‘The World Collector’ for @chipublib [the Chicago Public Library]. It’s a fun book that vividly illustrates the transformative power of words — and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did.” You can listen to the Obamas read for about six minutes on Twitter. You can also watch on the Chicago Public Library’s Instagram page.

This isn’t the first time the Obama family has lifted some of the pressure off parents during this time. Former First Lady Michelle started a series called “Mondays With Michelle,” and read to kids for the past month on PBS. Although the series ended May 11, it looks like the Obamas will continue to give back to the community by helping kids stay engaged and encourage them to love the power and beauty of words. And if you and your kids happened to miss Mondays With Michelle, you can catch all the episodes on YouTube, which are streaming for free.

The Obamas are incredibly invested in libraries, and are using their platform to educate the public on their importance and value. In fact, the Obamas are infusing some of their resources to make sure their local Chicago Public Library becomes an even bigger part of the community’s lives. “Public libraries are essential institutions, and that’s why we’re bringing 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, and learn and engage with their communities. And we’re excited for you to visit one day!”

Michelle said, “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.”

The Obamas aren’t the only wonderful faces we’ll be seeing reading stories to occupy our kiddos. Oprah will be joining Live From the Library next week! You can watch these readings on Facebook as well as Instagram. Most likely you’ll be able to tune in on Oprah’s Twitter page as well.

Although libraries have unfortunately been closed down for the foreseeable future due to the pandemic, we’re still lucky to be able to experience the magic of books through initiatives like this. Plus, this isn’t the only way to make sure you and your kid are getting enough reading time in — most local libraries are still offering e-books and audiobooks you can borrow. Keep calm, and read on.