‘Reading Rainbow‘ Revived with viral Librarian Mychal Threets as Host
NEW YORK – “Reading Rainbow,” teh beloved children’s television series that inspired generations to embrace reading, is returning with new episodes, announced Thursday. Mychal Threets,a librarian who gained a significant online following for his engaging library content and candid discussions about mental health,will host the reboot.
The new iteration of “Reading Rainbow” will premiere at 10 a.m. ET every Saturday in October on KidZuko, a kids’ YouTube channel from Sony Pictures Television, and will also be available on the show’s website. Episodes will feature celebrity guest stars including “The Bear” actor Ebon Moss-bachrach and “Dancing with the Stars” dancers Rylee Arnold and Ezra Sosa.
Launched in July 1983, the original “Reading Rainbow” aimed to encourage children to enjoy reading during summer break.Hosted by levar Burton, the show won a Peabody Award and multiple Daytime Emmy Awards over its 21 seasons and 155 episodes before being canceled in November 2006.
Threets, who credits Burton and “Reading Rainbow” with fostering his own love of literature, expressed his excitement about the revival. “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,” he wrote on Threads. “I am so happy for all of us that Reading Rainbow is returning! YOU all did this!”
In a 2023 interview with NBC News, Threets emphasized the importance of books, stating, “Books are that constant friend in the battle with your own mind.” The announcement was made on the Instagram account for “Reading Rainbow,” as well as on the accounts for Threets and Buffalo Toronto Public Media, the original series’ production company.
The Instagram post announcing the return read, “Take a look, it’s in a book… After nearly 20 years… Reading Rainbow is returning to motivate, help, and encourage kids to become avid readers with new episodes, new friends, new projects, and of course… new books!”
