Reading Rainbow

Click here to visit the Reading Rainbow website.

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.

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.

Reading Rainbow overtly intends the action of seeking and reading the books featured; that intention is the heart of the series for viewers.  It also means that the intended audience (the early elementary grades) has a program targeted specifically for them even though younger children enjoy the story aspect of the series. Parents, librarians, teachers and children themselves have affirmed Reading Rainbow's unique literacy purpose consistently when they discuss their understanding of the series and identify reasons for wanting to read particular title.

Program and workshop elements relate the Learning Triangle:  Read-View-Do and the five design segments:

• Featured Book
• Experiential Segment
• Library as a Resource
• Positive Self-Concept
• Development of Literacy Skills

Other elements of this fun hands-on workshop include the Series Description, Goals and Themes, How Does this Series Help Prepare Children for School, Web Site resources, Additional Outreach Resources, and Read-View-Do activity sheets, which includes recipes, crafts, and educational activities.  Tips for parents are also available.