Reading Rainbow is back, thanks to this famous internet librarian.
After a 20 year hiatus, Reading Rainbow, the former PBS tentpole, is headed back to the airwaves. A reboot of the literacy loving children’s television show is coming to a (small) screen near you—thanks in part to a brand new host.
Mychal Threets, a former Solano County librarian turned beloved fixture of kiddie #Bookstagram, will be taking the next generation twice as high as the butterfly of yore. Known as “Mychal the Librarian” to his millions of fans, Threets will pick up where the originating host LeVar Burton left off—which feels a suitable choice.
In addition to Dewey Decimal credentials, Threets has been feted by the American Library Association, and the Berkeley Public Library. He even has a library card tattoo.
“I was raised on Reading Rainbow,” Threets told fans in a cross-social post yesterday. “LeVar Burton is my hero. I am a reader, I am a librarian because LeVar Burton and Reading Rainbow so powerfully made us believe we belong in books, we belong everywhere.”
Initially launched to sustain and nurture youth reading habits that slumped during the out-of-school summer months, Reading Rainbow turned into an unexpectedly seismic cultural presence.
As the Detroit Free Press reports, over its 26 year run on primetime, the show won more than 250 awards, from Peabodys to Parent’s Choices. It received more than 26 Emmys in as many seasons—ten for best series.
The Rainbow was so good at spreading the good word it even spawned another PBS tentpole. After the book Arthur’s Eyes was featured on the show, a certain aardvark’s life was optioned. And you know the rest.
Structurally, OG Rainbow liked to rove and amble. Burton would shape an episode around a Feature Book, often narrated by a celebrity guest. This story time would be followed or framed by on-theme field trips or adventures.
A trailer suggests the digital reboot will echo this house style. Reviews from your young readers will sit next to craft time, will sit next to interviews with special guests—like 14-year-old Bellen Woodard, the author of More Than Peach. Or actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach, your favorite cousin from The Bear.
Like the old show, the new one will also enlist famous voices. Gabrielle Union, Adam DeVine, and the power couple Chrissy Teigen and John Legend are already slated to make vocal appearances on the early episodes.
So where can you find this fabulous reboot? Starting October 4th, all new Rainbows will air on Saturdays on KidZuko, Sony Picture’s YouTube channel for educational, kid-friendly content.
At a grim moment for public broadcasting, this is a welcome bit of news. Glad to meet you, Mychal the Librarian! We look forward to taking your word for it.
