• Air date: 01 Jan '86 15 episodes
      Reading 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...
  • List of Episodes (15)
    • 1. Space Case

      01 Jan '86
      Is there life on other planets and stars? LaVar sends a message to aliens who might be watching and a radio telescope in Puerto Rico is profiled. Today's featured story is about a being from outer space who visits Earth.
    • 2. The Milk Makers

      01 Jan '86
      The Milk Makers
    • 3. Imogene's Antlers

      01 Jan '86
      LaVar visits the zoo, to learn about animals with horns and antlers. In the featured story, a young girl wakes up one morning to discover she's grown her own pair of antlers.
    • 4. Germs Make Me Sick!

      01 Jan '86
      Germs Make Me Sick!
    • 5. Abiyoyo

      01 Jan '86
      Abiyoyo
    • 6. The Life Cycle of the Honeybee

      01 May '87
      LeVar visits a beehive to look into beekeeping and how honey is made. Barbara Feldon narrates The Life Cycle of the Honeybee, which goes into detail about how bees make hives in natural habitats such as trees.
    • 7. Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie

      01 May '87
      Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie
    • 8. Chickens Aren't the Only Ones

      01 May '87
      Chickens Aren't the Only Ones
    • 9. The Paper Crane

      01 May '87
      The Paper Crane
    • 10. The Runaway Duck

      01 May '87
      The Runaway Duck
    • 11. A Three Hat Day

      01 Aug '87
      A Three Hat Day
    • 12. Rumpelstiltskin

      01 Aug '87
      Rumpelstiltskin
    • 13. Best Friends

      01 Jan '87
      The best of friends are those whose friendships endure everything. And it extends to all walks of life, particularly to dogs. Liza Siegler reads the story of two girls who are best friends, but their relationship is strained when one girl goes on a vacation with relatives and the other girl feels lonely and neglected, until a new neighbor moves in and asks her to help him look after his dog.
    • 14. Meanwhile Back at the Ranch

      01 May '87
      LeVar travels to an old west town made to look like life in the 1880's to see how times have changed in the last 100 years. He explores how cowboys lived and traveled, and he also shows how stunt riders practice tricks on their horses for western movies. Hoyt Axton reads the featured book, a story told in comparisons about a rancher who decides to spend the day in a town 84 miles from home, and the strange happenings at his ranch back home while his wife stayed home to plant potatoes.
    • 15. My Little Island

      01 Jan '87
      My Little Island