Mr. Limata Wants to Tell you A Story
When the pandemic shuttered his second grade classroom, this Oakland teacher doubled down on his commitment to reading to his students—and the whole world tuned in.
Peter Limata photographed by Molly DeCoudreaux at Marcus Books
When second-grade teacher Peter Limata speaks, he’s full of energy and joy, befitting a person who spends his days with young children. But when he talks about books, his voice vibrates with reverence.
“I’m here, we’re talking right now, because of books,” he says. “I always say I'm a socialized introvert because of just the way I grew up. You know, like even though I wanted space alone, I shared a bedroom with six other guys,” he says, of his childhood in Lusaka, Zambia. “So it's like even though you want your space, it's never there. And so what would happen is like I would stay inside during the day just reading a book.”
Many years later, and thousands of miles from his childhood home, books are still his solace. But now they’re not only his; every weekday at 10:30 a.m. PT, he reads a children’s book live on Facebook in an event called Story Time with Mr. Limata. His audience includes his students, friends, and strangers—retired teachers or librarians, people in Poland and Zambia.
“I was home but I was like, I want to connect with my students; what can I do? How do I help them continue reading? How do I continue helping students who are coming from homes where they don’t have access to books, or parents don’t encourage access to books or don’t know that they should?”
Peter, as he is called by all except his students, began Story Time with Mr. Limata in March, shortly after the Bay Area’s COVID-19 shelter-in-place order was announced. “I was home but I was like, I want to connect with my students; what can I do?” recalls Peter, who lives in Oakland and teaches second grade at one of the city’s public schools, Emerson Elementary. “How do I help them continue reading? How do I continue helping students who are coming from homes where they don’t have access to books, or parents don’t encourage access to books or don’t know that they should?”
He puzzled over this problem with his girlfriend, Lydia Yamaguchi, who is a co-producer of Story Time with Mr. Limata, and decided to live-stream himself reading one book each weekday. “It was one way of like, I’ll keep exposing those kids to books. And then also, if they see especially, you know, a man, a Black man reading like those are things that would be encouraging.”
He started compiling his favorite titles, setting up Facebook events, inviting his class parents, and in mid-March read his first book—Anansi and the Talking Melon, a retelling of a West African tale, written by Eric A. Kimmel. He peppered the lineup with other old favorites, like Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are and The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt, but also started drawing more and more from new classics, like Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry and Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal.
Peter Limata photographed by Molly DeCoudreaux at Marcus Books
“Of course, since it was Facebook, I have friends, I have people who are on there, so once it went out and it was just like people started sharing like, ‘Oh this is happening, this is happening,’” Peter says. “It just built this community. And so I think at some point it took on a life of its own.” His readings attract dozens of listeners each day, and he begins every broadcast with jolly shout-outs to regulars and newcomers alike. And he’s built confidence and trust with the publishing industry, too: Big-name authors, including Innosanto Nagara and Dave Eggers, give him copies of their forthcoming children’s books to read, and Chronicle Books invited him to their summer preview.“The permission and support from the individual authors and publishing houses has made story time possible. I am very grateful to them for this opportunity to spread positive messages and keep our little people engaged in reading,” says Peter. “That was a big step, you know, when such an organization that has shared so much with me in terms of their books and saying, ‘you have blanket permission to read all our books,’ like that was a heavy lift off my shoulders.”
“It was one way of like, I’ll keep exposing those kids to books. And then also, if they see especially, you know, a man, a Black man reading like those are things that would be encouraging.”
Quickly, Peter fell into a format. Monday is for what he calls the “boom book,” a well-known title that will get people excited for the week ahead. Tuesday is for a heavier, harder-hitting topic. Wednesday is where he introduces young readers to books that are longer. “Thursday is generally that's when we deal with issues of race and, you know, like what it means to be Black, what it means to be African-American or what it means, you know, to talk about these issues.” And Friday, like Monday, is for a lighthearted, fun book, to ease into the weekend.
Since that first day in March, Peter has only skipped one week for an abbreviated summer holiday. Otherwise, no matter what’s going on in the world he’s there every weekday, reading a book to kids and adults all over the world. “The social movement that we're in right now has made me think, and think as I come on air, and think like what do I want to bring? How do I want to bring it?” he says. “I want to address this issue, I want to talk about it, you know, I want to share it…. But there’s also times where I'm like, I come on and I'm like, can I just put down the yoke for those few minutes that I'm on there?”
Peter Limata photographed by Molly DeCoudreaux at Marcus Books
He’s held Story Time during John Lewis’s funeral, during Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s funeral, during protests over the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others. “As I come on, I am aware of those things,” he explains. “I was like if I come on and smile and say, ‘Have yourself a beautiful day,’ or, ‘I hope today's a beautiful day for you,’ am I being sincere? Like, am I? What does that mean? You know, like am I being insensitive?”
The answer he landed on—thanks also to feedback from trusted regulars—is that it’s about balance. He acknowledges what is going on in the world outside Story Time, in fact, he often directly addresses it or brings it in through the books he chooses, but also provides a respite from the anger, sorrow, and frustration.
“It has become a platform for me to share positivity,” he explains. “You realize, too, that there are also kids out there, right, and they're bombarded with the news. They're listening to the news; there's so much going on. As much as I am accepting and confronting those things, I also want to bring a balance or say, OK, let this be just time where maybe I can entertain the kids…. Maybe it's a Friday, it's a happy book, let's just read that book and be happy. And if I wish you a beautiful day, despite all that's going on, can you still have some sunshine in your life, right? Like that's what I'm reaching for.”
“It has become a platform for me to share positivity. You realize, too, that there are also kids out there, right, and they're bombarded with the news…As much as I am accepting and confronting those things, I also want to bring a balance or say, OK, let this be just time where maybe I can entertain the kids….And if I wish you a beautiful day, despite all that's going on, can you still have some sunshine in your life, right?”
Not only has Peter had to grapple with what is going on in the outside world and how to bring that into Story Time, he has had to reckon with what to read. As much as he loves the classics, he didn’t want to just stick to them; he wanted to read books that would make his audience feel seen, accepted, and celebrated. He’s chosen titles that celebrate Native American culture, Black hair, female leaders, Muslim identity, activism, and fatherhood such as Fry Bread, Hair Love, She Persisted, Under My Hijab, Oh, the Things We’re For, and My Daddy Doesn’t Need a Cape.
More than just celebrating the diversity of our world, he wants to read books that deliver a message, and that might help families discuss more complex issues. “When I started reading topics, like say even reading books like They Call Me Mix or, you know, like books like And Tango Makes Three”—the first, a story about what it means to be a transgender person of color, and the second a tale of two male penguins who create a family—"It was like, these are books that I may get a backlash from Zambians or people, you know, who are reading in Zambia. But I told myself I was like, you know what? If somebody, you know, like, it's better if somebody insults me or criticizes me for doing the right thing than me being praised for being a coward.”
Peter Limata photographed by Molly DeCoudreaux at Marcus Books
He feels this was always his responsibility as a teacher, but before Story Time he could only reach the kids in his classroom. Now, his reach is limitless. “Say I post something and say, ‘this is Indigenous Peoples Day and this is where I stand,’ I'm letting you know where I stand. Somebody else out there, I'm sure, has different views or whatever it is. But this is where I stand and I want you to hear it. And I know somebody needs to hear it,” he says. “I want to be educated and I want to also help educate. And so that responsibility has grown. And I think with what I believe in—that everybody should be treated justly and, you know, equally, fairly—those things have definitely been amplified, and also the platform for me to be able to share those, it has been amplified.”
Peter hopes that by sharing books that reflect his views, and by showing his audience that he’s engaged in civic life, he can encourage them to do the same. His activism is inspired by the work of other individuals and organizations that relentlessly and clearly advance an agenda of equality and justice—Asians for Black Lives, the People’s Kitchen Collective, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the Black Teacher Project. “You see so many people that are just out there every day, you know, like putting their lives out, doing the big things. And so that's for me, those I've been inspirations.