Michelle Obama begins 4-week livestreamed read-along event

April 20 (UPI) -- Former first lady Michelle Obama begins a month-long event on Monday during which she will read along with American children by livestream, as schools are closed due to the coronavirus crisis nationwide.

"Mondays with Michelle" will be livestreamed on Facebook, and Obama will read aloud from popular children's books. The streams will begin at noon EDT each Monday.

"As a little kid, I loved to read aloud," Obama said in a statement. "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 livestreams will be broadcast by PBS Kids and Penguin House on their Facebook pages. The events are part of a partnership with Penguin Young Readers, Random House Children's Books and PBS Kids.

A listing of the books to be featured during the reading sessions can be found on the PBS Kids website.