CLEVELAND — Reading to children online was a no brainer for 7-year-old Mackenzie McMahan because she loves books and sharing them with others.
MacKenzie’s Book Nook is gaining views on YouTube and Facebook and the Brunswick second-grader and her father, Adam McMahan, couldn’t be happier.
“This was a way for us to kinda harness her creativity in a positive way,” he said. “In a world where kids are completely influenced by social media … and the content that’s available on YouTube we thought why not allow her to be an influencer herself?”
Adam McMahan said Mackenzie has always been captivated by books and wants to help others discover a love a reading in a fun way.
“You know I use the term ‘edutainment’ like she’s actually learning to read. She’s encouraging others to read so it’s not just another mindless scroll through TikTok,” he said.
The videos can be helpful to parents too.
“Mackenzie’s Book Nook is a great way for parents to let their kids just kind of chill out. I think she’s got 10 stories now so there’s about a half-hour of content really that you could just sit them down and let them watch it, and she’ll read books to them with all of her personality and fun and character,” he said.
Mackenzie is the star of the show.
“She is the magic, no doubt about it. She is the magic. I coach her a little bit but it’s all her personality. She loves to be entertaining and I’m just here to try and help encourage that,” Adam McMahan said.
He said they plan to keep using that magic to entertain and encourage other kids to sit down and pick up a good book.
