MAGNOLIA, Ark — There is no doubt our lives have been uprooted because of all that is going on in the world right now with the COVID-19 pandemic. That is especially true for kids.
An Arkansas man wants to bring a little normalcy back into their lives, simply by reading them a book before they say goodnight.
Every night at 7 o’clock sharp, Mark Trout sits in his living room in Magnolia, Arkansas and reads a book to his Facebook audience. Some of the books he's read include The Three Billy Goats Gruff, If you take a Mouse to School and The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Trout, who works full time, is also a regular volunteer reader at East Side Elementary School. With school out, he said with school out right now, he wants to bring a sense of normalcy to kids stuck at home So, he decided to read.
"It's great to know that hope, kindness, joy and goodwill can travel the globe much faster than a virus,” said Trout.
Trout said he used to work in radio and still voices commercials. He said his background in voice work is one of the main reasons he enjoys reading to kids.
You can listen to Mark's nightly readings at 7 p.m. on his Facebook page.
While the schools are closed, you can also check out Craig O’Neill's The Virtual Reading Road Trip. He reads to kids on a daily basis to keep young imaginations working and to just simply have fun reading books with stories.