About Reading Rainbow

Reading Rainbow, hosted by LeVar Burton, is a critically-acclaimed award-winning half-hour PBS series that turns children on to books and reading. The series targets 4-8 year olds, and is based on research that identifies these early years as the optimum time for children to learn to read, and to adopt positive reading habits, skills and attitudes.

Reading Rainbow's dynamic, fast-paced, magazine-style format features on location adventures, colorful animation and hip music videos. Popular personalities, including Bill Cosby, Tyne Daly and Whoopi Goldberg, narrate the program's feature book, while captivating illustrations appear on-screen. "Kid-on-the-street" interviews allow real kids to sound off about issues and in every episode kids the age of viewers recommend three additional books to read.

In July 1983 Reading Rainbow premiered as a summer television series with the intent to promote reading during non-school months. By 1990 the series moved to year round Monday – Friday broadcast and the series continues a weekday presence on most public television stations.  One hundred and fifty-five episodes have been created for the series – 153 of those are available on DVD. Over the years Reading Rainbow has expanded its scope of topics and issues while keeping the joy of reading at the center of its message. Some of these episodes explore science and math themes while others include social issues such as homelessness, the Vietnam Memorial, music of slavery, and youngsters talking about gangs and their community.

Professionally the series has been recognized with over 250 awards. Reading Rainbow has garnered  26 Emmys (ten for "Outstanding Children's Series"), a prestigious Peabody, nine CINE Golden Eagles, nine Parent's Choice Awards and six international Prix Jeunesse Awards. In a more personal way the series impact is acknowledged by the actions of children – as librarians and booksellers report that books featured on episodes receive enormous requests and quickly become "classics" in kids' personal libraries, and when young children often ask for books seen on Reading Rainbow by title and sometimes even by author.

Reading Rainbow and host LeVar Burton continue to link books to enjoyment and a wide range of exciting, on-location real-life settings, people and places. The series promotes reading as a way children can sample the world around them.