NEW YORK (AP) – As guest host of "Today'', US first lady Laura Bush proved she can be as chatty and genial as the broadcast pros.

Even better, she demonstrated how to keep it under control on Tuesday. In the company of the NBC morning show's fawning, overeager veterans, Bush brought a welcome air of restraint – while much of the time, her on-air companions might have seemed to the former teacher like schoolchildren on a sugar rush. In this unusual, much-promoted appearance, the first lady co-hosted the third hour of the four-hour "Today" sprawl, sharing her slot with Ann Curry and Al Roker.

But her guest appearance was clearly pegged to the publication of "Read All About It'', a new book she co-authored with daughter Jenna. They shared a more conventional interview segment earlier in the programme, questioned by Curry. The book, aimed at youngsters, is intended to promote reading literacy, a favourite cause of Bush.

During the programme, Jenna Bush emerged as a star in her own right, demonstrating a gift for a clever line. She fielded questions about her marriage next month to longtime boyfriend Henry Hager. But when trying to convey the close relationship she shares with her twin sister, she cracked, "We've already told him that on every Christmas Eve I plan to still sleep with Barbara."