Writing Lessons & Advice: Reading Rainbow Returns!
- Katie Johns
- Oct 3
- 2 min read
Many of us may have grown up with doses of edutainment, or media that blends amusement and learning. It has adopted various formats that have overlapped throughout the years, but for the most part, current generations find it through social media, digital media, and apps while millennials got a lot of it through video games and computer games. Yet, it was the Gen Xers’ television programming that gave the trend most of its initial steam. They had some cool shows! In fact, several of them that kicked off in that timeframe have endured and adapted throughout the decades. A few may have retired but were later revisited with some comeback treatment, like one Reading Rainbow has gotten.
The original iteration of Reading Rainbow was aired by The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in 1983. The show was created with a goal of encouraging kids to love books and reading. The general structure of an episode featured a story reading--often by a celebrity guest--followed by exploration into some of the story’s themes and even book reviews from kids themselves. The theme song is pretty iconic too!
Reading Rainbow wrapped in 2006 due to changes in funding and educational initiatives at the time, but it ran twenty-one seasons with one hundred and fifty-five episodes, making it the third longest-running program from PBS after Sesame Street and Mister Roger’s Neighborhood. Reruns ran until 2009 and show host LeVar Burton attempted to revamp the Reading Rainbow ideology into an iPad app in the 2010’s. After some lawsuit negotiations, this app was rebranded as Skybrary, a reading/library app geared towards preschoolers to third grade. In late September 2025, announcements on social media were made that episodes for a new revival were in production to be released on YouTube channel, Kidzuko throughout the month of October. This revival will be hosted by social media personality Mycal Threets, aka Mycal the Librarian. Known featured guests at this time include Rylee Arnold, Ezra Sosa, Bellen Woodard, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and more.
As a developing story, that’s all I have for now but I’ll try to share any more worthwhile information I come across!
Each generation may have their unique ways to be reached and taught but every generation needs quality education that breeds quality life skills. Literacy--the skills related to reading and writing--is a competency all people need, no matter how the social and scholastic winds blow the landscape. Reading Rainbow in the nineteen-eighties helped alleviate a “summer slump” in academics through a medium popular for the time and surpassed expectations. Hopefully reading passions and abilities will get revitalized in a similar way through Reading Rainbow twenty twenty-five!
Hope you’ll check this out and get behind it!
Did you grow up watching Reading Rainbow? Feel free to share about your experience or other topics you want covered in the comments, chat feature, or socials!
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