A Texas headteacher who wants her students to continue learning after school ends has started reading bedtime stories to them on a Facebook livestream.

Dr Belinda George, 42, films herself reading a children's book in her living room in her pyjamas every Tuesday evening, which anyone can watch on Homer Drive Elementary School's Facebook page.

She calls it “Tucked-in Tuesdays”, and they have become a sensation at her school.

“I don't know if they are read to or not at home,” said Dr George.

“Kids will come up to me Wednesday and say, 'Dr George, I saw you in your PJs reading!,” she said. “They'll tell me their favourite part of the book.”

After watching Dr George and listening to her animated character voices (and sometimes her funny asides) students will approach her to ask where they can find that book in the school library.

And it has begun to expand beyond Homer Drive Elementary School. Since Dr George has received some media attention, parents and children from across the country are starting to tune in, as well.

“Serenity is watching from Albuquerque, NM,” reads one comment on a post. “LOVE THIS!!!!!,” reads another commenter from Illinois. “Thank you for going out of your way for them!,” reads a third from Orlando.

Dr George says she does it to keep the relationship strong between home and school. And also because she adores her students.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 11 August 2020 French Prime Minister Jean Castex is helped by a member of staff to put a protective suit on prior to his visit at the CHU hospital in Montpellier AFP via Getty World news in pictures 10 August 2020 Locals harvest their potatoes as Mount Sinabung spews volcanic ash in Karo, North Sumatra province, Indonesia Antara Foto/Reuters World news in pictures 9 August 2020 Doves fly over the Peace Statue at Nagasaki Peace Park during the memorial ceremony held for the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing EPA World news in pictures 8 August 2020 Anti-government protesters try to remove concrete wall that installed by security forces to prevent protesters reaching the Parliament square, during a protest against the political elites and the government after this week's deadly explosion in Beirut AP World news in pictures 7 August 2020 A protester throws a stone towards Israeli forces in the village of Turmus Aya, north of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, following a march by Palestinians against the building of Israeli settlements AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 August 2020 A woman yells as soldiers block a road for French President Emmanuel Macron's visit the Gemmayzeh neighborhood. The area in Beirut suffered extensive damage from the explosion at the seaport AP World news in pictures 5 August 2020 Damage at the site of Tuesday's blast in Beirut's port area, Lebanon Reuters World news in pictures 4 August 2020 A large explosion in the Lebanese capital Beirut. The blast, which rattled entire buildings and broke glass, was felt in several parts of the city AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 August 2020 A general view shows the new road bridge in Genoa, Italy ahead of its official inauguration, after it was rebuilt following its collapse on August 14, 2018 which killed 43 people Reuters World news in pictures 2 August 2020 Empty stall spaces are seen hours before a citywide curfew is introduced in Melbourne, Australia EPA World news in pictures 1 August 2020 People take part in a demonstration by the initiative "Querdenken-711" with the slogan "the end of the pandemic - the day of freedom" to protest against the current measurements to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Berlin, Germany AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 July 2020 Pilgrims circumambulating around the Kaaba, the holiest shrine in the Grand mosque in Mecca. Muslim pilgrims converged today on Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat for the climax of this year's hajj, the smallest in modern times and a sharp contrast to the massive crowds of previous years Saudi Ministry of Media/AFP World news in pictures 30 July 2020 The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission lifts off at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. The mission is part of the USA's largest moon to Mars exploration. Nasa will attempt to establish a sustained human presence on and around the moon by 2028 through their Artemis programme EPA World news in pictures 29 July 2020 A woman refreshes herself in a outdoor pool in summer temperatures in Ehingen, Germany dpa via AP World news in pictures 28 July 2020 Malaysia's former prime minister Najib Razak speaks to the media after he was found guilty in his corruption trial in Kuala Lumpur AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 July 2020 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un poses for a photograph after conferring commemorative pistols to leading commanding officers of the armed forces on the 67th anniversary of the "Day of Victory in the Great Fatherland Liberation War". Which marks the signing of the Korean War armistice KCNA via Reuters

“The bottom line is I love, love kids,” said Dr George, adding she does not have any of her own. “I know if I don't reach them outside of school I never reach them in school.”

Dr George started the readings in December for her 680 students. Some of her Facebook Live videos have received as many as 2,000 views. She said she wears pyjamas because she says good night to them at the end of the video, and she wants to be “true to what I'm saying”.

Each Tucked-in Tuesday begins with a roll call of sorts, as Dr George gives a shout-out to the students who have signed on and pop up on her screen. She has to be careful she pronounces every name correctly.

“They'll come in the next day and tell me, 'You're saying my name wrong,'” she said.

Her readings promote family time, she says, because parents watch along with students (she calls them scholars rather than students). It's also interactive because Dr George asks questions for the children to answer as she reads.

When she read the book “Ladybug Girl”, she slid on enormous ladybug wings and cuddled a large stuffed ladybug. The evening she read “Madeline's Christmas,” she had on a Cookie Monster onesie with the hood up.

There was a huge inflatable astronaut behind her last Tuesday as she read “Astronaut Handbook”. Dr George announces the reading grade level of each book, and her students can take an optional quiz about the book the following day as part of the school's reading comprehension curriculum.

The evening she read “Ladybug Girl”, she came to a page where Ladybug Girl's brother says she can't play with him because she's too small. Dr George paused and looked into the camera.

“How many of you have ever been told that you're too little to do something?” she asked. “I have three older sisters, and they used to tell me I was too little to do something.

“But guess what?” she asked with a glint in her eye. “I did it anyway.”

Her audience laughed along with her.

Dr George said 94 per cent of her students come from economically disadvantaged homes, and last year's literacy tests showed that an average of just 55 per cent of her third, fourth and fifth-graders were reading on or above grade level.

30 best children's books Show all 30 1 /30 30 best children's books 30 best children's books 30. Tom Brown’s Schooldays by Thomas Hughes (1857) This moving, charming and poignant tale of boarding school life is included partly for its own merits, but also as it was the first in the school story genre which spawned so many thousands of books, through Enid Blyton right up to J K Rowling. And, of course, the bully Flashman, without whom we wouldn’t have George McDonald Fraser’s hilarious series detailing his further adventures. 30 best children's books 29. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter (1902) Even Potter knew she was writing nostalgically about an imagined past; but who could not fail to love this slyly observed tale of a naughty rabbit? Potter’s arch, almost Austen-esque prose interacts seamlessly with her keenly observed studies of flora and fauna. Avoid the new film, and stick to the original. 30 best children's books 28. How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell (2003) Quite simply, Cressida Cowell has an exceptional ability to give children what they like. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is a Viking who doesn’t fit in: gawky and geeky, his adventures with his hunting-dragon Toothless are madcap and marvellous. Give it to a child, and see them become engrossed immediately. 30 best children's books 27. The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge (2015, Macmillan) The recent winner of the overall Costa Book Awards is a remarkable novel from a remarkable writer. Hardinge is a true original, her sentences poised and poetic, her alternative 19th-century world fully imagined, and her intelligent, inquiring female lead not simply a good role model but also a fine addition to literature. 30 best children's books 26. Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman (2001) Former Children’s Laureate Malorie Blackman’s novel described a world in which black Africans had enslaved white Europeans. Whites, or noughts, were economically impoverished, whilst the blacks, or crosses, were in power. An inter-racial love affair between two teens brings first passion and then tragedy. Powerful, provocative and original. 30 best children's books 25. The Mouse and His Child by Russell Hoban (1967) A bittersweet and unusual tale, in which a clockwork mouse and his child are thrown out of a toy shop, and then must embark on a journey to find safety. Unlike the film Toy Story, in which the toys are complicit in their servitude, this allows discarded toys to find a world of their own, constructed according to their own terms. Full of striking imagery and exciting scenes. 30 best children's books 24. Down with Skool! A Guide to School Life for Tiny Pupils and their Parents by Geoffrey Willans and Ronald Searle (1953) As any fule know, reading Molesworth is like being a member of a secret skool gang. Complemented by Ronald Searle’s satirical drawings of depressed, deluded schoolmasters and grubby, disobedient schoolboys, all the world’s vanity and hypocrisy is on display through Molesworth’s cynical, instantly likeable and badly spelled voice. A grate writer, indeed. 30 best children's books 23. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer (2001) A wondrously clever book that upturns children’s literature convention. Its hero, Artemis Fowl, is a 12 year old boy who also happens to be a criminal mastermind. Containing such characters as a kleptomaniac, flatulent dwarf, and a centaur called Foaly who’s also a technical whizz, this is a hilarious delight. 30 best children's books 22. The Scarecrows by Robert Westall (1981) I’ve chosen The Scarecrows over The Machine Gunners, which is perhaps Westall’s better known book, as I think this has a quality of terror and an understanding of adolescence that is matchless. It focuses on a boy’s tortured relationship with his stepfather, and the encroachment of a murder that happened many years before. Unforgettably spine-tingling, and profoundly affecting. 30 best children's books 21. The Harry Potter series by J K Rowling (late 20th century) First published over 20 years ago, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone blazed into the world’s consciousness like a bolt of lightning. Moving from the initial wonder and quirky charm of the first three books, the series took on a darker tone, resulting in an enthralling septet and a cultural phenomenon. 30 best children's books 20. The Ghost of Thomas Kemp by Penelope Lively (1973) Penelope Lively once said that “Children need to sense that we live in a permanent world that reaches away behind and ahead of us.” Her writing encompasses a huge range, and this, her Carnegie-winning novel about a house beset by the spirit of a sorceror, is eerie, effective and involving. 30 best children's books 19. Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce (1958) Considered by many to be one of children’s literature’s most outstanding examples. Tom is packed away to stay with his aunt and uncle: but when the clock strikes thirteen, he finds a gorgeous garden, and in it a little girl called Hatty, who seems to come from a different time. Emotionally rich, it will leave a lasting impression on any child. 30 best children's books 18. The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin (1968) The recent death of Ursula Le Guin, aged 88, has brought renewed attention to her works. Ged, a dark skinned boy from the goat herding island of Gont, demonstrates exceptional powers and is sent to learn how to be a wizard. His resulting quest is epic, with a depth and strangeness that lasts. 30 best children's books 17. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken (1962) This has all the hallmarks of classic children’s literature: missing parents, a usurping adult, terrible injustices and the romance of winter and wolves. Set in an alternative historical era, where James III rules, little Bonnie’s fortune is snatched by a sinister governess. Children will cheer when she gets her comeuppance. 30 best children's books 16. The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf (1936) What at first seems to be a delightful story about a little bull who hates fighting becomes a potent fable about what’s expected of boys. Rejecting masculine violence, Ferdinand prefers just to sit under a cork tree. The illustrations of Spanish matadors, picadors and their arenas are astoundingly evocative. 30 best children's books 15. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (1963) A picture book that reveals more about itself each time it’s read. Note how the pictures expand as Max’s imaginative world grows; how the text, poetic and spare, interacts with the visuals; how Max, through his journey into the interior of his self, meets and conquers his anger at his mother. The drawings are lovely, too. 30 best children's books 14. Matilda by Roald Dahl (1988) I’m willing to bet that after reading this, many children stared at pencils, hoping they might be able to move them with their mind alone. Dahl’s exuberant imagination is on full display in this emotionally weighty story about a little girl’s fight for love and escape. Miss Trunchbull, the vicious headmistress, is one of literature’s great villains. 30 best children's books 13. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (1894) Raised by wolves, Mowgli must face the terrible tiger Shere Khan, with the help of Baloo, a “sleepy brown bear”, and Bagheera, a panther. Full of invention and adventure, the stories were an immediate hit, the behaviour of the animals believable and, paradoxically, human. Their wildness and subtleties have become thoroughly imbued into the popular imagination. 30 best children's books 12. Five Children and It by E Nesbit (1902) A representative from the first Golden Age of children’s fiction in the early 20th century. Nesbit’s grumpy, vain wish-granting Psammead (or “sand fairy”), an immortal who used to eat Pterodactyl for breakfast, offers adventure in a world without oppressive evil. The brothers and sisters find that magic doesn’t always offer a solution. 30 best children's books 11. The Once and Future King by T H White (1958) Captivating, wise, witty, this collection of three earlier books treats the Matter of Britain. TH White’s masterstroke was to imagine the young king Arthur as Wart, an ordinary boy thrust into extraordinary situations; and his Merlin as a kindly, forgetful old man (viz. Dumbledore). Neglected in recent years, White deserves a place in the limelight once more. 30 best children's books 10. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (1908) There is some debate as to whether The Wind in the Willows is a children’s book, or whether it’s really a book to lift up the spirits of down-trodden city clerks. Either way, the gentle adventures of Mole and Ratty, and Toad’s ridiculous shenanigans, express a lyrical love of the pleasures of rural life. 30 best children's books 9. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien (1937) In The Hobbit, an odder book than it at first appears, the tiny hairy-footed Bilbo Baggins goes on a journey with some dwarves, and is actually rewarded for being a thief. The charm of the hobbits’ world is matched by the excitement of the adventures Bilbo finds himself entangled in; and many readers will be led on to its vast sequel, The Lord of the Rings. 30 best children's books 8. Northern Lights by Philip Pullman (1995) Philip Pullman’s daemons, in his lavishly-imagined alternative world run by a sinister religious organisation, are among the most enduring creations of children’s literature. His themes are cosmic and vast, with a dizzying sense of possibility; his story spellbinding; and in Lyra Belacqua, he made a heroine at once appealing, spiky and enduring. 30 best children's books 7. The Narnia series by C S Lewis (mid 20th century) The best children’s books have a way of altering the universe around them. Everyone can remember their first encounter with Narnia, and then trying to get through the back of the wardrobe afterwards into the enticing other world. Lewis’ stroke of genius, of course, was making the animals talk; the knightly adventures of the children are gripping. 30 best children's books 6. The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That Which Is to Come by John Bunyan (1678) One of the first books enthusiastically taken up by children, this is now largely neglected, even by adults and scholars; unjustly so, as its allegorical power and beauty are unsurpassed. Its humour and colloquial nature mean it is still accessible. From the Slough of Despond to the Celestial City, it brims with memorable places and people. 30 best children's books 5. Peter and Wendy by J M Barrie (1911) Some would argue that this novelised form of the play Peter Pan is not a children’s book, being instead complicit with an ironic, adult viewpoint; however this, and all its variants, are enjoyed immensely by children. There is the theme-park like world of Neverland; the sense of unbounded imagination; and the dizzying allure of flight and magic. 30 best children's books 4. The One Thousand and One Nights by Anon. (Folk tales) This scintillating series, which Scheherazade spins to her royal husband every night so that he spares her life to hear their conclusion, first came to Europe in 1704 in a French text that also contained Aladdin, Ali Baba and Sinbad the Sailor. Elemental, opulent and wondrous, the stories are full of passion and revenges, and remain enormously influential. 30 best children's books 3. Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen (19th century) A strange and shy man, Hans Christian Andersen produced some of the most beautiful and reverberant literary fairy tales in the world, about loss, love and longing. Gerda’s search for her brother Kay in ‘The Snow Queen’; the Little Mermaid’s mute passion for her prince; gorgeously written, they offer solace and enchantment. 30 best children's books 2. Kinder- und Hausmärchen (‘Nursery and Household Tales’) by The Brothers Grimm (19th century) Exceptionally influential, this collection of over 200 tales underwent many editions in the Grimms’ lifetime. Though the seamier elements were altered for a prudish bourgeois audience, the fairy tales retain a depth which resonates with children and adults alike. We all know The Frog Prince and Hansel and Gretel; but have you read “Hans my Hedgehog”, about a half boy, half hedgehog? 30 best children's books 1. The Alice Books by Lewis Carroll (19th century) Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and Through the Looking Glass, and what Alice Found There, are an extraordinary brace of books, written by the mathematican Charles Dodgson, under his pseudonym of Lewis Carroll. He employed logic, humour and inventive fantasy, fashioning the most powerful and unusual works in children’s literature. Some have tried to work out why a raven is like a writing desk. But most will be content to be drawn away into enchantment.

She said since she became principal this school year, students have made strides in literacy. “We've already seen growth,” she said.

Dr George said she has a deep understanding of growing up in an economically disadvantaged home. She and her five siblings grew up in a three-bedroom trailer in Louisiana.

Her father, who worked at a crawfish farm, dropped out of school in fifth grade to care for his father. Her mother stopped school in 11th grade.

“My mom and dad were great parents,” she said, adding that they emphasised education even though they did not have a lot of it themselves. “My mom was a really smart lady.”

She said she gives positive feedback to her students, and has high expectations, but also knows the importance of meeting them where they are. For example, she said she does not want students to feel like they have let her down if they don't end up attending college.

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

“I understand some of these kids will never go to college, but I don't want them to feel like they're not successful. Whatever you choose, just be good at it,” she said. “If you're a ditch digger, be the best ditch digger there is.”

In addition to reading to them once a week, she also has twice-weekly dance parties at school and does home visits to give students kudos and to help them if they are off track.

“Anything I can do to build relationships,” she said. “If a child feels loved they will try. There's no science about it.”