Second Lady Usha Vance Launches Literacy Podcast

Second Lady Usha Vance launched a new podcast on Monday aimed at boosting childhood literacy across the United States. Titled "Storytime with the Second Lady," the series features Vance reading children's books or hosting guests to share stories, with three initial episodes released to mark the debut.

The podcast kicks off with Vance narrating "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" by Beatrix Potter in the first episode, which runs about 10 minutes. The subsequent installments include former NASCAR driver Danica Patrick reading from the Disney Pixar "Cars" franchise and author and Paralympian Brent Poppen reciting a section from his book "Playground Lessons." Future episodes will invite a range of guests, such as celebrities, authors, athletes, veterans and musicians, to promote reading for pleasure.

"Reading for pleasure at home builds stronger literacy and classroom skills and opens the door to a world of opportunity for children," Vance said in a statement from her office. "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."

The initiative addresses a documented drop in reading...