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Reading Rainbow : Season 1
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Air date: 06 Jun '83 - 15 episodesReading Rainbow was an American children's television series that aired on PBS from June 6, 1983, until November 10, 2006, that encouraged reading by children. The public television series garnered over 200 broadcast awards, including a Peabody Award and 26 Emmy Awards, 11 of which were in the "Outstanding Children's Series" category. The series was created under the leadership of Cecily Truett Lancit and Larry Lancit, at Lancit Media Productions in New York. The concept of a reading series for children originated with Twila Liggett, Ph.D., and Paul Schupbach, of the Great Plains National Instructional Television Library at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln; and Tony Buttino, of WNED-TV Buffalo, New York. The original team included Lynne Brenner Ganek, Ellen Schecter, and host LeVar Burton. Each episode centered on a theme from a book, or other children's literature, which was explored through a number of segments or stories. The show also recommended books for kids to look for when they...
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List of Episodes (15)
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Reading Rainbow (1983)
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1. Tight Times
06 Jun '83A young girl's father loses his job.
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Reading Rainbow (1983)
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2. Miss Nelson Is Back
07 Jun '83As part of his birthday celebration, LeVar gets made-up like a movie monster, and then gets involved in Harry Blackstone's magic act. Ruth Buzzi reads Miss Nelson Is Back, all about a group of rowdy students who try to take advantage of their teacher's absence when she's out sick one day, and how she gets revenge on them by pretending to be "the meanest teacher in the world, Viola Swamp."
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Reading Rainbow (1983)
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3. Bea and Mr. Jones
08 Jun '83LeVar is already worn out after working on several scenes all day long on the production of the series. He feels he needs to take on another identity, segueing into introducing the featured book, Bea and Mr. Jones. Madeline Kahn reads the book about a kindergarten student and her father who get so bored with their jobs that they decide to experiment by switching places for the day.
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Reading Rainbow (1983)
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4. Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain
09 Jun '83Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain
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Reading Rainbow (1983)
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5. Louis the Fish
10 Jun '83Louis the Fish
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Reading Rainbow (1983)
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6. Digging Up Dinosaurs
13 Jun '83Technically not the first science-related show in its history, LeVar seeks a place where archaeologists retrieve dinosaur bones. At the end of the program, LeVar buries a time capsule, containing (among other things) a can of old Coke and his picture. Linda Gilman reads Digging Up Dinosaurs, a story about how paleontologists unearth dinosaurs skeletons and preserve them in museum exhibits.
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Reading Rainbow (1983)
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7. Liang and the Magic Paintbrush
14 Jun '83Liang and the Magic Paintbrush
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Reading Rainbow (1983)
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8. Gila Monsters Meet You at the Airport
15 Jun '83In the featured book, a young boy and his family move from New York City to the Southwest and he has many misconceptions about what his new home is like.
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Reading Rainbow (1983)
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9. Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe
16 Jun '83Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe
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Reading Rainbow (1983)
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10. The Gift of the Sacred Dog
17 Jun '83The first of many programs favoring Native Americans. In this instance, a Midwestern legend suggests how horses arrived to the tribe. Later in this episode is the song "Ancient Places, Sacred Lands" which lists several words originating from various locations of the United States and the tribal meaning of their names.
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Reading Rainbow (1983)
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11. Gregory, the Terrible Eater
20 Jun '83Today's subject is goats and what they eat.
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Reading Rainbow (1983)
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12. Three by the Sea
21 Jun '83Three by the Sea
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Reading Rainbow (1983)
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13. Arthur's Eyes
22 Jun '83LaVar explores seeing and our other senses, as Bill Cosby tells the story of how the young aardvark, Arthur Read acquired his pair of glasses.
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Reading Rainbow (1983)
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14. The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash
22 Jun '83The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash
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Reading Rainbow (1983)
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15. Ty's One Man Band
23 Jun '83LeVar is ready to find music everywhere, and he does. This show includes the animation Onomatopoeia. Lou Rawls reads the story of Ty's One-Man Band, about a man who teaches a boy how to make music using household items.
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