Second lady Usha Vance announced a new podcast for kids, “Storytime with the Second Lady.” She launched the event by reading Beatrix’ Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
The initiative comes at a time when national reading scores are down and fewer students are reading for pleasure.
Vance explained that the effort to encourage children to read comes from her own love of books and her desire to improve children’s literacy:
Reading for pleasure at home builds stronger literacy and classroom skills and opens the door to a world of opportunity for children. I’m excited to invite special guests to share great stories, spread their love of reading, and help reverse the decline of childhood literacy rates in our country.
In a post on X, the second lady invited parents and children to join her in hearing books read aloud.
In the first episode of the podcast, available on YouTube and Spotify, Vance described reading with her own children, Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel:
I’ve always loved reading, from when I was a kid until today. And now as a mom, story time with my kids is the highlight of my day.
Books have taken our family on so many adventures. Through books, we’ve learned so many new things about science and nature, far away countries, ancient civilizations,America’s history, and more. Most of all, we’ve had lots of fun reading together. I thought it would be even more fun to share story time with all of you.
The second lady then went on to read The Tale of Peter Rabbit, the classic by Beatrix Potter (spoiler alert), where mischievous Peter Rabbit disobeys his mother and comes to regret it. Old Mrs. Rabbit specifically instructs her children not to get into mischief, nor go into Mr. McGregor’s garden where his poor father “had an accident there” and “was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor.”
Naughty Peter, of course, goes straight to the garden, eats some vegetables and almost suffers the same fate as his father. Thankfully, he escapes, albeit with the loss of his shoes and new blue jacket.
The lesson is learned though: Listen to your parents or you’ll get sick and have to drink a spoonful of chamomile tea, while your sisters eat bread, milk and blackberries for dinner.
In the second podcast, former professional racing driver Danica Patrick joined Vance to read two stories from Walt Disney’s Cars franchise. In the third episode, paralympic athlete Brent Poppen, who won a bronze medal in Wheelchair Rugby at the 2004 Athens Games, read his own book, Playground Lessons-Friendship and Forgiveness: Harley and His Wheelchair.
The initiative comes at a time when reading for pleasure is at an all-time low. In 2024, a report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the Nation’s Report Card, showed that only 31% of fourth grade students and 30% of eighth graders were reading at the proficient level or above.
The NAEP also found a downward trend in numbers of nine-year-old students reading for fun. In 1984, 53% read almost every day and 28% read once or twice a week for fun. In 2022, those numbers had dropped to 39% and 25%, respectively.
Sixteen percent of nine-year-olds in 2022 never or hardly ever read for fun, compared with 9% in 1984.
Similarly, a study published in September 2025 from the University of Florida and University College London “found that daily reading for pleasure in the United States has declined by more than 40% over the last 20 years.”
Research demonstrates that reading for pleasure “is linked to greater intellectual progress, both in vocabulary, spelling and mathematics.” Leisure reading is connected with academic achievement, better career prospects and emotional well-being.
Vance has developed other initiatives to improve reading skills in children, such as the Summer Reading Challenge, where children read 12 books to receive a small prize and a chance to visit the Capitol, and the Bookmark Design Challenge, where students submit designs connected with America’s 250th Anniversary.
The Daily Citizen wishes the second lady success as she works to encourage reading in America’s students.
Related articles and resources:
5 Positive Effects Reading Has on Child Development
60 Classic Adventure Books for Children
The Blessings of Books: Plugged In’s Year-End Picks
Brilliant Books 2022: Plugged In’s Year-End Picks
Gobble-Worthy Books 2023: Plugged In’s Yearly Picks
Best Books of 2024: Plugged In’s Year-End Picks
Connecting With Your Kids Through Reading
Good Books for Kids to Read: How to Find Them
How to Find Great Books to Read to Your Kids
How to Raise Kids Who Love Reading
Keep Lots of Books in Your Home – It Matters for Your Children
