Writing Lessons & Advice: Reading Rainbow Returns!
- Katie Johns
- Oct 3
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 25
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 Mychal Threets, aka Mychal the Librarian. Known featured guests at this time include Rylee Arnold, Ezra Sosa, Bellen Woodard, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and more.
(I was on vacation when the first episodes came out, so I apologize for the less-than-timely update.)
The first episode premiered October fourth with an opening theme that has a nice blend of fresh and familiar that would please most nostalgics as well as young new-comers to the program. Mychal the Librarian warmly welcomes viewers to both the show and of course the library setting, encouraging it as a place offering friendship and inclusivity--values connected this episode’s themes. They are developed further with the featured story, “No Cats in the Library” by Lauren Emmons and narrated by actress Jamie Chung. The story told of a cat curious about books who wanted to learn more about them and ultimately find her place in the library. Much like in Reading Rainbow’s first iteration, the storybook illustrations were animated. But something new to this version is a section called “What Can You Remember?”, which is a brief, multiple-choice style reading comprehension quiz. The early show also moved beyond the books and explored bigger picture, community-focused applications. With the new show following suit, the community segments in this episode visited an NYC animal care center where some children read to the shelter animals and Mychal taught kids how to make DIY sidewalk libraries. The DIY parts also involve a short Q&A conversation with an expert--who in this case was Mychal as an expert on libraries. These segments were intertwined with Mychal also discussing benefits of reading out loud, be it to or with a loved one or possibly even a pet or shelter animal as well as story sharing and exploration. Finally and not to be forgotten, the episode wraps up with other young readers sharing their book recommendations. All told, the new Reading Rainbow has plenty for a new generation to enjoy and much for old fans to remember and share with them! As of October twenty-fifth, other episodes available explore expressing and managing emotions, activism, and even starting to find life’s purpose. New ones are posted every Saturday.
Again, 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? What are your thoughts on the new series? Feel free to share about your thoughts, experiences, or other topics you want covered in the comments, chat feature, or socials!
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