Ms. Rachel has entered her album era, and she is so happy about it
If you have a small child in your life, you've likely heard of Ms. Rachel.
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you → enter → Rachel
With her pink headband and high-pitched, singsong voice, Ms. Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Accurso, has become one of the most recognizable figures in children's entertainment.
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name → become → entertainment
Her gentle, repetitive and interactive songs and lessons have drawn in millions of toddlers and their families around the world.
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songs → draw → world
Since launching the YouTube channel "Songs for Littles" in 2019, Ms. Rachel and her husband, Aron Accurso, have racked up over 17.2 billion views.
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Rachel → launch → views
"We never imagined that it would turn into what it has today when we were making videos [in my parent's basement]," Aron, who is a Broadway composer and songwriter, told NPR's Leila Fadel.
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who → imagine → Fadel
"In the early days, we just stacked books up because we didn't have a tripod and we pulled up our pop-up green screen."
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we → stack → screen
The couple launched the channel after struggling to find proper resources for their son, who had a speech delay.
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who → launch → delay
What started as videos made at home has since grown into a children's entertainment and education business worth millions.
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started → start → business
Her debut record, I'm So Happy, is set for release Sept. 25.
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I → set → release
The 23-song compilation of original music and children's favorites and traditional nursery rhymes is meant to be a reimagining of what the couple has accomplished on YouTube.
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couple → mean → YouTube
"We think kids deserve rich, thought-out music," Ms. Rachel told NPR.
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Rachel → think → NPR
"We love putting real instruments in and maybe a kid at home is like, 'Wow, the cello, maybe I could do that!'"
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I → put → that
As her audience has grown, so has the public role Ms. Rachel has to take on.
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Rachel → grow → ?
She has increasingly used her platform to advocate for children affected by war and humanitarian crises, including in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan.
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She → use → Gaza
She said she sees that advocacy as part of the responsibility that comes with reaching millions of children and families.
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that → say → children
"I think every child should be in a warm, safe home with the food they need.
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they → think → food
And I think as grown ups, it's awful and selfish to not speak about that should be the norm," she said.
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she → think → ups
Speaking plainly about children in war has pulled Ms. Rachel into a much harsher public conversation.
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Speaking → speak → conversation
In 2025, she was accused of antisemitism and the group StopAntisemitism called for the Justice Department to investigate her over what it characterized as pro-Hamas propaganda.
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it → accuse → propaganda
She has denied the accusations, which were ultimately found to be baseless.
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which → deny → accusations
Still, even as her advocacy has brought great scrutiny, and raised security concerns for her family and growing business, Ms. Rachel said she knows what's in her heart.
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what → bring → heart
"Every day I want to say, 'Let's take care of kids'," she said.
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she → want → kids
The digital version was written by Ashley Westerman and edited by Majd Al-Waheidi.
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version → write → Waheidi
The radio version was produced by Ava Pukatch.
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version → produce → Pukatch
The Aporia
