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Series · 1983–2006Ended

Reading Rainbow

8.4·21 seasons·155 episodes·30 min avg.·United States of America

Journey to exciting places and build a lasting connection with your favorite books. Each episode centers on a theme from a book, or other children's literature, which is explored through a number of segments or stories.

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01
Tight Times
Tight TimesUp next
Jun 6, 1983

A young girl's father loses his job.

02
Miss Nelson Is Back
Miss Nelson Is Back
Jun 7, 1983

As 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."

03
Bea and Mr. Jones
Bea and Mr. Jones
Jun 8, 1983

LeVar 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.

04
Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain
Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain
Jun 9, 1983

Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain

05
Louis the Fish
Louis the Fish
Jun 10, 1983

Louis the Fish

06
Digging Up Dinosaurs
Digging Up Dinosaurs
Jun 13, 1983

Technically 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.

07
Liang and the Magic Paintbrush
Liang and the Magic Paintbrush
Jun 14, 1983

Liang and the Magic Paintbrush

08
Gila Monsters Meet You at the Airport
Gila Monsters Meet You at the Airport
Jun 15, 1983

In 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.

09
Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe
Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe
Jun 16, 1983

Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe

10
The Gift of the Sacred Dog
The Gift of the Sacred Dog
Jun 17, 1983

The 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.

11
Gregory, the Terrible Eater
Gregory, the Terrible Eater
Jun 20, 1983

Today's subject is goats and what they eat.

12
Three by the Sea
Three by the Sea
Jun 21, 1983

Three by the Sea

13
Arthur's Eyes
Arthur's Eyes
Jun 22, 1983

LaVar explores seeing and our other senses, as Bill Cosby tells the story of how the young aardvark, Arthur Read acquired his pair of glasses.

14
The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash
The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash
Jun 22, 1983

The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash

15
Ty's One Man Band
Ty's One Man Band
Jun 23, 1983

LeVar 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.

Cast

1 credited
LeVar Burton
Self - Host

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