Reading Rainbow

Most college students of this generation can remember watching a favored television show called Reading Rainbow. I can still remember that time of the day in my elementary school classes being one of my favorite times of the days. While loving the show dearly as a child, I could not have fathomed its direct influence on children's literature today.

Reading Rainbow is an acclaimed American children's television series aired by PBS since 1983 that encourages reading among children. Each episode centers on a theme from a book or other children's literature which is explored through a number of segments or stories. The show also provides book recommendations for kids to look for when they go to the library.

Reading Rainbow is hosted by actor and executive producer Le Var Burton. He regularly features a children's book narrated by a noted celebrity. The show also regularly features Burton in different places talking to individuals about their work and contributions to children's literature, all focusing on the theme of each episode. The final segment of each show, called Book Reviews, allows other children to give reviews of books that they recommend to the viewer. In more recent years, Reading Rainbow has begun to tackle issues that other children's programs have historically avoided, such as poverity in U.S. inner cities, the September 11 attacks, childbirth and its impact on the family, and prison (all from a child's point of view).

Reading Rainbow has won numerous awards. It has won eight Emmy Awards for Outstanding Children's Series. The series was also nominated for six Daytime Emmy Awards in 2005. It won three more Emmys for Writing, Photography and Editing and was the most honored children's series of 2005. Critics note that Reading Rainbow is one of only a few U.S. children's shows also watched regularly by adults. It is one of the most commended shows in all of children's television.