Saturday, September 05, 2009

Thank you, Reading Rainbow















This story from NPR makes me very sad.

Reading Rainbow comes to the end of its 26-year run on Friday; it has won more than two-dozen Emmys, and is the third longest-running children's show in PBS history — outlasted only by Sesame Street and Mister Rogers.

My family watched Reading Rainbow from Day 1 and continued tuning in for years and years and years. The theme song was uplifting and inviting, "Take a look, it's in a book - Reading Rainbow." It became a sort of soundtrack for our day when my children were younger.

entling no. 1 was a wee tyke when the first Reading Rainbow episode aired. Lavar Burton was an enthusiastic and gracious host. I was raised listening to Robert Keeshan (Captain Kangaroo) read classics like Mike Mulligan's Steam Shovel and Make Way for Ducklings.

Reading Rainbow celebrated the NEW classics. This was when we became aquainted with Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain, Imogene's Antlers, Perfect the Pig, and A Three Hat Day. The kid's reviews at the end of the show were a new twist. Let the kids, speak for themselves and recommend book titles. That had never been done before.

The books were wonderfully narrated, with clever pan and scan editing of the illustrations. This series celebrated reading-aloud and the stories leapt through the television screen and into our hearts.

I can go anywhere!
Friends to know and ways to grow - Reading Rainbow.

6 comments:

Susan T. said...

Camille, I was so sad when I heard Reading Rainbow was going off the air. It's important to have shows like that. Sigh.

Sherry said...

I videotaped many episodes of Reading Rainbow when my eldest was young (she's 24), and now my youngest (8) enjoys the programs. It is sad that they're going off the air.

tanita✿davis said...

This truly made me sniffly. I ask again: what other show had a Hunky AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE talking about the joys of reading!??! I ask you.

And now it's gone.

*sigh*

Camille said...

I think my FAVORITE episode one was when Michael Dorn (talk about HUNKY) read Space Case and donned his Worf costume and makeup. I remember he exited the makeup trailer, looked at the camera and said, "I take BIG steps" in his Worf voice. Wonderful!!!

anne said...

Well, they won't make any more, but surely they'll be in re-runs, just as mister rogers is? All my kids loved it, I loved it, it was / is a truly innovative and awesome show which celebrated how wonderful it is to read, and be read to!

Kelsey said...

I posted about this too, a sad day for lit lovers everywhere. :-(

http://mdwestmom.blogspot.com/2009/08/why-im-sad-about-end-of-reading-rainbow.html