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Reading Rainbow

PRIMETIME EMMYS® 1X nominee in 1996
Take a look, it’s in a book, a Reading Rainbow! For over 30 years, this beloved children’s television series has been bringing stories to life. Hosted by acclaimed actor LeVar Burton, journey to exciting places and build a lasting connection with your favorite books — but you don’t have to take our word for it.
IMDb 8.4198320 episodesX-RayTV-Y
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Episodes

  1. S11 E1 - How Much is a Million?
    April 9, 1996
    27min
    TV-Y
    Levar ponders what it takes to count to one million. He visits a Crayola factory and learns how crayons are made. He then visits Giants stadium in New Jersey to see how stadium officials count the number of fans who attend different events. Finally, a vendors of Giant stadium discuss and how they use mathematics to estimate the amount of food they need for an event.
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  2. S11 E2 - Always My Dad
    October 6, 1996
    28min
    TV-Y
    This episode of "Reading Rainbow" teaches a lesson about family. Levar Burton reminences about his childhood with his mother and two sisters. His parents were divorced when he was eight leaving him without a father. In this episode. we visit with children that come from different types of family structures--not all of which are traditional.
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  3. S11 E3 - Bread is for Eating
    October 7, 1996
    27min
    TV-Y
    LeVar Burton focuses on the art of baking bread and its cultural value throughout the world. Bread is considered to be the most basic food that we consume. It can be fun to make, tasty, and it's part of a balance daily diet. But in many cultures, the making and comsumption of bread takes on an even larger meaning for many.
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  4. S11 E4 - Hotel Animal
    October 8, 1996
    28min
    TV-Y
    Levar dreams he is miniature size and everything around him is "so very big." When he Awakes, everything is back to normal. He learns that size can influence your perception. Things look bigger and a little scary when you're small. But as you grow, your perception changes. The suggested books are "Hotel Animal," "The Three Bears," "Mr. Tall and Mr. Small," and "Zoom."
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  5. S11 E5 - Someplace Else
    October 9, 1996
    28min
    TV-Y
    Levar shows us his travel room, a place very dear to him. His travel room has many maps and globes of places that he's visited. While we all love our own homes, we often imagine what it would be like to live somplace else. In this episode, we see what life is like in New York city, on the high seas, and in Hawaii.
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  6. S11 E6 - On the Day You Were Born
    April 6, 1997
    28min
    TV-Y
    This special episode of "Reading Rainbow" celebrates the joy and wonder of a child being born. We follow Tom and Kay Estes in their last couple of weeks before the birth of their fourth daughter. An actual birth is shown. The book "On The Day You Were Born" introduces the subject matter of birth.
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  7. S11 E7 - Hip Cat
    April 7, 1997
    28min
    TV-Y
    In this episode of the "Reading Rainbow," Levar Burton visits with The Bill Saxton Quartet and Saxophonist Joshua Redman. We learn about jazz and the concept of improvisation. Books featured in this episode include: "Hip Cat", "Conga Crocodile", "Charlie Parker Played BeBop", and "Willie Jerome."
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  8. S11 E8 - Regina's Big Mistake
    April 8, 1996
    28min
    TV-Y
    In this episode of the "Reading Rainbow," Levar Burton visits with The Bill Saxton Quartet and Saxophonist Joshua Redman. We learn about jazz and the concept of improvisation. Books featured in this episode include: "Hip Cat", "Conga Crocodile", "Charlie Parker Played BeBop", and "Willie Jerome."
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  9. S11 E9 - The Carousel
    April 10, 1997
    28min
    TV-Y
    This episode of "Reading Rainbow," teaches a lesson about legacies. The book "Carousel", narrated by Sarah Hubbard, shows that a legacy is a special gift passed down from generation to generation. Other books recommended are "The Long Silk Strand", "The Always Prayer Shawl", and "Up and Down on the Merry Go Round."
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  10. S11 E10 - Math Curse
    October 4, 1998
    28min
    TV-Y
    This episode of "Reading Rainbow," teaches a lesson about legacies. The book "Carousel", narrated by Sarah Hubbard, shows that a legacy is a special gift passed down from generation to generation. Other books recommended are "The Long Silk Strand", "The Always Prayer Shawl", and "Up and Down on the Merry Go Round."
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  11. S11 E11 - My Life with the Wave
    October 4, 1998
    28min
    TV-Y
    Water, Water every where...even in books. Levar Burton ponders what it would be like to bring home something totally outrageous like a wave. In the book "My Life With The Wave", a boy gets into a boat-load of trouble when he brings home a naughty little wave. Levar Burton takes a swim in the ocean where he learns about the manatee, a 2000 pound aquatic mammal related to the elephant.
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  12. S11 E12 - Saturday Sancocho
    October 6, 1998
    28min
    TV-Y
    The art of bartering is the topic as Levar Burton introduces the book "Saturday Sancocho". When Maria's family can't afford sancocho, she and her mother figure out a way to trade eggs for the ingredients they need for chicken sancocho. A little boy named Jimmy learns the value of a dollar by trading Baseball cards. Levar Burton goes to an auction to learn how objects are valued.
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  13. S11 E13 - When Aunt Lena Did the Rhumba
    October 7, 1998
    28min
    TV-Y
    This week's episode is about performance. In "When Aunt Lena Did The Rumba" a little girl puts on her own musical to cheer up her sick Aunt Lena. The Boy's Choir of Harlem shows us the beauty of music through voice. Comedian Peter Patovsky shows how he makes people laugh. Then travel to Broadway for a glimpse of the hit musical "CATS".
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  14. S11 E14 - Work Song
    October 7, 1998
    28min
    TV-Y
    This week's episode is about performance. In "When Aunt Lena Did The Rumba" a little girl puts on her own musical to cheer up her sick Aunt Lena. The Boy's Choir of Harlem shows us the beauty of music through voice. Comedian Peter Patovsky shows how he makes people laugh. Then travel to Broadway for a glimpse of the hit musical "CATS".
    Free trial of PBS KIDS
  15. S11 E15 - The Shaman's Apprentice
    October 22, 2000
    28min
    TV-Y
    Levar visits the town of Quamala in the Amazon rain forest and spends some time with the Tirio Indinas, the subjects of today's book "The Shaman's Apprentice."
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  16. S11 E16 - Lemonade for Sale
    January 18, 2001
    28min
    TV-Y
    Levar is on Wall Street to discuss how businesses get their start. Andrea McCardle reads "Lemonade For Sale." Then meet Tom and Tom, founders of Nantucket Nectars. They're juice guys!
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  17. S11 E17 - The Secret Shortcut
    February 15, 2001
    28min
    TV-Y
    As we learn in "The Secret Shortcut," shortcuts may get you to where you are going faster, but if you get lost you should have some experience in orienteering. Lavar takes an orienteering course in Central Park and later we get an inside tour of the new Primate Reserve at the Philadelphia Zoo.
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  18. S11 E18 - My America- A Poetry Atlas of the United States
    March 15, 2001
    28min
    TV-Y
    Levar takes us on a literary tour of the United States. From Hawaii to Maine and Montana to New York, each state is different in its own way.
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  19. S11 E19 - Badger's Parting Gift
    April 19, 2001
    28min
    TV-Y
    Levar takes us on a literary tour of the United States. From Hawaii to Maine and Montana to New York, each state is different in its own way.
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  20. S11 E20 - Max
    September 2, 2002
    28min
    TV-Y
    LeVar profiles people who are considered "Everyday Heroes" for doing important jobs to provide services, like firefighters, doctors, police officers, nurses, and even jobs like lawyers, judges and teachers. Regina King and Ian Desdone read the story of Max, a boy born into a family of superheroes who hasn't shown any signs of having powers yet.
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