THE THEME SONG TO READING RAINBOW.................... "Butterfly in the sky,I can fly twice as high, Take a look,it's in a book it's Reading Rainbow..... I can be anything,Take a look,it's in a book,it's Reading Rainbow!!!!"If anyone were to come up to you and asked you this question of what was actor Levar Burton's greatest television series to date and possibly his best of work of all time,what would you say?Could it be his debut performance as Kunta Kinte in Alex Haley's Roots for which he won an Emmy for back in 1977?Could it be his role opposite the great Steve McQueen in "The Hunter" which was a moment in time starring one of the best Hollywood actors of all time?Could it be his role for the seven seasons he played Geordi LaForge on Star Trek:The Next Generation?**The answer for his best work and possibly the greatest children's television show of all time is none other than "READING RAINBOW". This show set the standard for what would become the basis of all children's programming and also to change the course of it as well. In other words,Reading Rainbow is way better than some of the crap that is destroying the minds of kids with some of the foulness that is on children's television today. And also to point out that Levar Burton did something what no other children's show has ever done---KEEP THE KIDS MINDS IN THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF READING----and he did just that too. By introducing children to the wonderful world of a book,it kept them interested in other things as well too by telling children that a book can open minds and also take them to a magical place where they can be anything they wanted to be,as long as it was in a good book---in other words,instills the value of reading as a whole in young kids and also install values that will go on throughout the course of their lives. Also,the show was a great educational tool as well by helping children figured out some of what is going on within the story and it adds for a very good discussion with the kids. I should know---I'm a teacher who used these episodes on video a lot with my kids and it really works in the setting of the classroom and also it works at home too.Some of the episodes are very good especially with Levar in them,including one episode where he went into a jungle,and the other,which was very good introduce audiences to his other job at the time,Star Trek:The Next Generation where he guided them through some of the sets and stuff behind the show,and just before everything was in order,you have special guest stars from the show just to lend a helping hand like Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes. Very good episode! The others were where Burton makes a pizza,flies a plane and takes us into the Library of Congress in Washington,DC was just great stuff and you'll learn something for each of those episodes. Some of the episodes are now out on video or DVD for your pleasure.But here what gets me............. About two years ago,they changed the opening and changed the theme song for some dumb reason,and why? Why did they do that? Then what really mess it up was the unethical and silly as hell computer animations that were added to the old episodes which really destroy the quality of the show. For a previous comment that was said about that,and I do agree with it..It was just plain wrong! Then about last year,those bureaucratic ass-holes at PBS cancelled the one show that made a different in millions of kids after 20 years on the air!! 20 Years!!! What gets me is this: They kept the worst of the kiddie garbage on the tube like "Barney","Teletubbies",and "Sesame Street"(which now a days has really lost it with me on what they did to this landmark series by destroying the entire concept of what it stood for by killing off the beloved characters)on the air which is unadulterated kiddie garbage,including one kids show that features bits of homosexuality,but these liberalistic morons at PBS really let the axe fall on this series and really cancelled "Reading Rainbow". Anyway,some PBS stations maybe have "Reading Rainbow" still on the air,but please check local listings if it is still available. As for parents,don't let your kids watch shows like "Blue's Clues","Barney","Sesame Street",and "Pee Wee's Playhouse",because these shows are pure garbage. Let'em watch "Reading Rainbow" so their minds can grow and prosper. Kudos to Levar Burton for making this series happen!!! A treasure for millions of kids around the world.

This show, at least in it's current state, is better than 99% of the crap one will find on network tv. I've seen up close pottery making by Indians in the mid-west, examined the inner workings of the largest galactic telescope in the world in Puerto Rico, and otherwise been very entertained and informed from the times I've caught this show just before Charlie Rose came on.Levar does a nice job of imparting important virtues to kids - RESPECT for creativity and craft, your elders, the environment... what more could you ask for, in an age when parents take NO responsibility for raising kids and kids have no respect even for human life??As far as the books reviewed, I can't vouch for this, but I've always left with a good, warm feeling about people every time I watch this show, (and I usually feel like heaving when I see the other crap on tv).I say, 'KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!'

Although I never saw this on PBS, I remembered enjoying this show throughout my first grade. As a kid, I used to love watching this show once in a while on Fridays since it was an adorable alternative to the boring voice of my teacher reading the same books that were portrayed in Reading Rainbow.

I grew up watching this show, it first appeared when I was 4 years old. I watched it as I learned to read and as I progressed through school. I still watch it on the occasions I find it on PBS, and I'm now a 22 year old grad student in Literature. I think this show really helps instill the value of reading in young kids--values that will follow them throughout life. I can't think of a better show for kids. And unlike most children's programs, it doesn't lose its charm no matter how old you get. A great great show, one of my personal favorites and a big reason I'm studying English and Literature today.