MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The pandemic has undoubtedly affected students in the classrooms, but one organization isn’t letting the restrictions get them down.  

Monongalia County Read Aloud is now offering “read aloud author videos” on their YouTube channel.  

West Virginia Authors typically visit classrooms to read their books to kids. However, with current COVID restrictions, those in-person readings have been canceled.  

West Virginian authors Marc Harshman and Anna Smucker have recorded two of their books to share with students in Monongalia County Schools. Harshman read his classic “Rocks in My Pockets,” and Smucker shared her story, “Golden Delicious, A Cinderella Story” of how this apple was first discovered in Clay County.

Monongalia County Read Aloud volunteers said this program gives students something to do that reaches beyond their homework.  

“Books share a multitude of information, and every type of book is going to reach a different individual, and I think just showing kids that reading is fun, and everybody needs a good grounding in reading, and this just turns them on. It basically gives them a commercial to hearing books read well and that in turn hopefully makes them enjoy the books and they share it with others,” said Diana Claydon, Read Aloud volunteer. 

Claydon hopes readers will be able to return to classrooms once COVID restrictions are lifted. 

“There is nothing like reading books to kids in person because you get the interaction with them, they can read along with you, and they can express their opinions and that to us, really makes the read aloud experience a true sharing event,” Claydon said. 

The Read Aloud author videos can be found on the organization’s YouTube channel, here.