Home > Kids TV Show > Reading Rainbow

Reading Rainbow

1983

Seasons & Episodes

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EP1 The Biggest Test in the Universe Nov 06, 2006

In addition to discussing accomplishing difficult tasks, LeVar profiles the New York children's theater group Tada, as they prepare auditions for their newest show. Richard Gear reads The Biggest Test in the Universe, a story about a grade school class having anxiety over an annual aptitude test.
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EP2 I Lost My Tooth in Africa Nov 07, 2006

LeVar discusses different rites of passage in growing up. The book "I Lost My Tooth in Africa" is read about a young girl who loses her first tooth while visiting her father's family in Africa, and how the tooth fairy tradition is different in other countries. We visit with some young people who are having their first dental appointment, and LeVar discusses other culture's customs regarding loose teeth. In another rite of passage, a friend of LeVar's celebrates her 15th birthday with a Quincenara ceremony.
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EP3 Boxes for Katje Nov 08, 2006

LeVar profiles Children For Children, a New York based youth organization that creates care packages for relief to children affected by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Elizabeth Jute reads a story about a US penpal who sends care packages to her friend in war-torn Holland after WWII.
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EP4 Game Day Nov 09, 2006

James Avery reads a story written by identical twin brothers Tiki and Ronde Barber, who became professional football players, and how they learned the importance of teamwork when they played together in junior high.
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EP5 Show Way Nov 10, 2006

As LeVar helps his wife and daughter construct his family tree, Diahann Carroll narrates Show Way, in which the author chronicles her family back to her Great, Great, Great, Great Grandmother, who was a slave in the South. Through traditions passed down to each generation, her family learned to sew "Show Way" quilts that were secretly maps designed to help slaves escape to the north to freedom, and how her relatives taught her to keep up with the love of quilting to retain family history.
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8.4| 0h30m| TV-Y| en
Synopsis

Journey to exciting places and build a lasting connection with your favorite books. Each episode centers on a theme from a book, or other children's literature, which is explored through a number of segments or stories.

Director

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GBH

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Trailers & Clips

Reviews

Nonureva Really Surprised!
MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting
Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
Micah Lloyd Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.
miles-husoy I've forgotten what a great show Reading Rainbow was. I broke my foot recently, and where I live, there's nothing to watch but Reading Rainbow. Now I am 20 years old and am more of a name in the workplace (so most of my co-workers probably have kids who enjoyed this show), so I can't really call it a guilty pleasure. There are some moments I'm not crazy about (e.g. stupid songs, too-childish stories), but along the way, I also get a good look at science, history, culture, etc. So while Reading Rainbow may be geared towards a children's audience, it's still got something for everyone (today, I even saw the episode with Liang and the Magic Paint Brush and got an insight into Chinese culture - I'd forgotten all about it!). Anyway, Reading Rainbow seems unlikely to go away soon, so it's still enjoyable for all ages. I'm starting to like it again myself!!!!
hyrulenick Since I am nearly 17 now, it was around '93 I watched this show a lot in my spare time. I only really remember the opening themes to it and all of the activities that were done (sort of).I even went to the museum of it in NYC (or maybe it was just a dream).I think I saw a movie about it as recently as '99, but by then it was not something I enjoyed.But back when I was five, I really enjoyed the theme song to it! But I am sure today kids have a lot better activities to do than this! I am sure the show was quite popular in the early 90's though-now I never hear a word about it.
raysond THE THEME SONG TO READING RAINBOW.................... "Butterfly in the sky,I can fly twice as high, Take a look,it's in a book it's Reading Rainbow..... I can be anything,Take a look,it's in a book,it's Reading Rainbow!!!!"If anyone were to come up to you and asked you this question of what was actor Levar Burton's greatest television series to date and possibly his best of work of all time,what would you say?Could it be his debut performance as Kunta Kinte in Alex Haley's Roots for which he won an Emmy for back in 1977?Could it be his role opposite the great Steve McQueen in "The Hunter" which was a moment in time starring one of the best Hollywood actors of all time?Could it be his role for the seven seasons he played Geordi LaForge on Star Trek:The Next Generation?**The answer for his best work and possibly the greatest children's television show of all time is none other than "READING RAINBOW". This show set the standard for what would become the basis of all children's programming and also to change the course of it as well. In other words,Reading Rainbow is way better than some of the crap that is destroying the minds of kids with some of the foulness that is on children's television today. And also to point out that Levar Burton did something what no other children's show has ever done---KEEP THE KIDS MINDS IN THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF READING----and he did just that too. By introducing children to the wonderful world of a book,it kept them interested in other things as well too by telling children that a book can open minds and also take them to a magical place where they can be anything they wanted to be,as long as it was in a good book---in other words,instills the value of reading as a whole in young kids and also install values that will go on throughout the course of their lives. Also,the show was a great educational tool as well by helping children figured out some of what is going on within the story and it adds for a very good discussion with the kids. I should know---I'm a teacher who used these episodes on video a lot with my kids and it really works in the setting of the classroom and also it works at home too.Some of the episodes are very good especially with Levar in them,including one episode where he went into a jungle,and the other,which was very good introduce audiences to his other job at the time,Star Trek:The Next Generation where he guided them through some of the sets and stuff behind the show,and just before everything was in order,you have special guest stars from the show just to lend a helping hand like Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes. Very good episode! The others were where Burton makes a pizza,flies a plane and takes us into the Library of Congress in Washington,DC was just great stuff and you'll learn something for each of those episodes. Some of the episodes are now out on video or DVD for your pleasure.But here what gets me............. About two years ago,they changed the opening and changed the theme song for some dumb reason,and why? Why did they do that? Then what really mess it up was the unethical and silly as hell computer animations that were added to the old episodes which really destroy the quality of the show. For a previous comment that was said about that,and I do agree with it..It was just plain wrong! Then about last year,those bureaucratic ass-holes at PBS cancelled the one show that made a different in millions of kids after 20 years on the air!! 20 Years!!! What gets me is this: They kept the worst of the kiddie garbage on the tube like "Barney","Teletubbies",and "Sesame Street"(which now a days has really lost it with me on what they did to this landmark series by destroying the entire concept of what it stood for by killing off the beloved characters)on the air which is unadulterated kiddie garbage,including one kids show that features bits of homosexuality,but these liberalistic morons at PBS really let the axe fall on this series and really cancelled "Reading Rainbow". Anyway,some PBS stations maybe have "Reading Rainbow" still on the air,but please check local listings if it is still available. As for parents,don't let your kids watch shows like "Blue's Clues","Barney","Sesame Street",and "Pee Wee's Playhouse",because these shows are pure garbage. Let'em watch "Reading Rainbow" so their minds can grow and prosper. Kudos to Levar Burton for making this series happen!!! A treasure for millions of kids around the world.
Bass-o-matic This show, at least in it's current state, is better than 99% of the crap one will find on network tv. I've seen up close pottery making by Indians in the mid-west, examined the inner workings of the largest galactic telescope in the world in Puerto Rico, and otherwise been very entertained and informed from the times I've caught this show just before Charlie Rose came on.Levar does a nice job of imparting important virtues to kids - RESPECT for creativity and craft, your elders, the environment... what more could you ask for, in an age when parents take NO responsibility for raising kids and kids have no respect even for human life??As far as the books reviewed, I can't vouch for this, but I've always left with a good, warm feeling about people every time I watch this show, (and I usually feel like heaving when I see the other crap on tv).I say, 'KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!'