Without exaggeration, “Reading Rainbow” is one of the most important programs to have been broadcast in the history of television. It succeeded in doing what many school systems were unable to do, get kids interested in reading. Across 24 years and 21 seasons of episodes, host LeVar Burton appeared on living room televisions across the country to introduce audiences of children and parents alike to stories of people and places. Many of these stories were on the written page while others were in live interviews and journeys to other parts of the world. You can learn more about how it all came together and the impact of “Reading Rainbow” thanks to a documentary currently airing on Netflix.
“Butterfly in the Sky: The Story of Reading Rainbow” was originally released back in 2022 at the Tribeca Film Festival, but is only now finding a home on Netflix. The documentary looks at the making of the show, the challenges it had to overcome to be the show it wanted to be, and the cultural and education impact it had. Many of the producers and crew are interviewed including some of the show’s creators, Twila Liggett, Larry Lancit, and Cecily Truett as well as series composer, Stephen Horelick. All the more fitting to have the latter in their considering the documentary’s name is taken from the theme song’s lyric.
Then there’s Burton (“Star Trek: The Next Generation“) himself. It would hardly be a documentary about this show without him. His skill as a presenter was exceptional, and held the show together as he spoke with people and visited places that were relevant to the book featured in that episode. Just from those segments alone it makes you wonder what kind of production budget they were allowed considering with was a show on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Burton talks about the experience of filming the show, including having to fight to make sure the show continued to receive funding from the federal government.
You also may remember how the program featured various kids talking about books and giving their own mini-reviews. Well, they found some of the kids and brought them in for interviews. Ultimately you got a well-rounded picture from multiple different angles of “Reading Rainbow” and an understanding of why the show was so unique for the time, and is still unique today. It hasn’t ever been replicated and it very likely never will. Any chance to watch LeVar talking about his time on the show is time well spent, so hop on over to Netflix as soon as you can to bask in that wonderous little rainbow. But you don’t have to take our word for it!
