During her time as First Lady, Michelle Obama led numerous education and literacy initiatives and was oft seen in classrooms reading to children. Her 2012 book American Grown, chronicling her experiences planting a kitchen garden at the White House’s lawn, is written with the same eloquence and enthusiasm she brought to her many inspiring speeches.
On the importance of access to the enduring power of the arts, Mrs. Obama says: “The arts are not just a nice thing to have or to do if there is free time or if one can afford it. Rather, paintings and poetry, music and fashion, design and dialogue, they all define who we are as a people and provide an account of our history for the next generation.”
With her memoir Becoming being released later this year, read on for 5 books Michelle Obama has recommended over the years, including work by Toni Morrison and classic children’s stories. Complement with Barack Obama’s reading list.
The Light of the World by Elizabeth Alexander
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
“That book helped me love reading, because before then, reading was kind of like something you did when you had to do it. But that book, it like grabbed me and pulled me and I just kept reading and kept reading.” -MO
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
(via BookBub)