Michelle Obama to host kids’ storytime on Facebook and YouTube amid coronavirus lockdown

MICHELLE Obama is to host children’s story time on Facebook and YouTube during the pandemic. 

From Monday at 11 am, former first lady Michelle Obama will host a story time on PBS Kids’ Facebook and YouTube pages to keep America's young ones stimulated during the coronavirus lockdown. 

The first installment in the four-week series is to feature "The Gruffalo" by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler.

The read-along is a joint program spearheaded by Obama, PBS Kids and Penguin Random House to help children develop a love of fiction. 

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."

The story time will stream live at 11am on Mondays until May 11 on PBS Kids’ and pages.

And they will remain available on demand. In future weeks, Obama will read “There’s a Dragon in Your Book” by Tom Fletcher and illustrated by Greg Abbott; “Miss Maple’s Seeds” by Eliza Wheeler; and “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle.