Barack and Michelle Obama team up to read children's book; make special announcement

Days after wrapping her month-long gig of "Mondays with Michelle," where she read children's books for an online storytime, Michelle Obama collaborated with her husband Barack Obama for a special reading of "The Word Collector" on behalf of Chicago Public Library.

Former United States President Barack Obama shared a 5.54-minute long video of their dramatic reading on his Twitter account and wrote: "Michelle and I want to do our part to give all you parents a break today, so we're reading 'The Word Collector' for @chipublib. It's a fun book that vividly illustrates the transformative power of words––and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did."

Meanwhile, former first lady Michelle Obama said that "The Word Collector" is one of her favorites, as it reminds her "of what it was like to get lost in the magic of words as a little kid."

"The Word Collector" written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds tells the story of a boy named Jerome who collects his favourite words. The former first couple decided to read aloud the children's book for the Chicago Public Library's online series "Live From the Library," a daily storytime for kids hosted by prominent Chicago natives.

Barack and Michelle, who are social distancing at their home in Washington D.C. with daughters Malia and Sasha, recorded the video from their home library. They started the video by announcing that they will be bringing a new branch of the Chicago Public Library to future South Side campus of the Obama Presidential Center.

"I remember my first trip to the library and how important I felt. My library card was a key that unlocked a world of knowledge and experiences," said Michelle, who spent her childhood in Chicago, adding that she and Barack are excited for the public to visit the new branch.

The couple then turned to "The World Collector," with Barack saying, "We chose this book because it illustrates the transformative power of words. I love words." "Yeah, your favorite," Michelle responded before they get started on the reading.

After finishing the book, Michelle quipped that Barack was "the word guy" and even "looks kind of like Jerome" as "they have the same ears." "Mine are a little bigger than Jerome," the former POTUS answered, to which the "Becoming" author replied, "a lot bigger."