Episode 1
Tight Times
30m
A young girl's father loses his job.
Episode credits
Guest stars Patrick McCaffrey
TV series
Reading Rainbow
1983TV-Y21 seasons8.4 / 10
Take a look, it’s in a book, a Reading Rainbow!
Journey to exciting places and build a lasting connection with your favorite books. Each episode centers on a theme from a book, or other children's literature, which is explored through a number of segments or stories.
Streaming, rental and purchase options
Where to watch in United States
Checked Sep 3, 2026
You can also rent or buy it from Google Play, Amazon, and Apple TV. Use the direct links below to open the provider.
Synopsis
Journey to exciting places and build a lasting connection with your favorite books. Each episode centers on a theme from a book, or other children's literature, which is explored through a number of segments or stories.
Season 1 episodes
Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.
Where to watch Reading Rainbow
Episode 2
Miss Nelson Is Back
30m
As part of his birthday celebration, LeVar gets made-up like a movie monster, and then gets involved in Harry Blackstone's magic act. Ruth Buzzi reads Miss Nelson Is Back, all about a group of rowdy students who try to take advantage of their teacher's absence when she's out sick one day, and how she gets revenge on them by pretending to be "the meanest teacher in the world, Viola Swamp."
Episode credits
Guest stars Ruth Buzzi
Episode 3
Bea and Mr. Jones
30m
LeVar is already worn out after working on several scenes all day long on the production of the series. He feels he needs to take on another identity, segueing into introducing the featured book, Bea and Mr. Jones. Madeline Kahn reads the book about a kindergarten student and her father who get so bored with their jobs that they decide to experiment by switching places for the day.
Episode credits
Guest stars Madeline Kahn
Episode 4
Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain
30m
Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain
Episode credits
Guest stars James Earl Jones
Episode 5
Louis the Fish
30m
Louis the Fish
Episode credits
Guest stars Vincent Gardenia
Episode 6
Digging Up Dinosaurs
30m
Technically not the first science-related show in its history, LeVar seeks a place where archaeologists retrieve dinosaur bones. At the end of the program, LeVar buries a time capsule, containing (among other things) a can of old Coke and his picture. Linda Gilman reads Digging Up Dinosaurs, a story about how paleontologists unearth dinosaurs skeletons and preserve them in museum exhibits.
Episode credits
Guest stars Linda Gelman, Jerry Stiller
Episode 7
Liang and the Magic Paintbrush
30m
Liang and the Magic Paintbrush
Episode credits
Guest stars Lauren Tom
Episode 8
Gila Monsters Meet You at the Airport
30m
In the featured book, a young boy and his family move from New York City to the Southwest and he has many misconceptions about what his new home is like.
Episode credits
Guest stars Douglas Parvin
Episode 9
Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe
30m
Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe
Episode credits
Guest stars Carolyn McHanon
Episode 10
The Gift of the Sacred Dog
30m
The first of many programs favoring Native Americans. In this instance, a Midwestern legend suggests how horses arrived to the tribe. Later in this episode is the song "Ancient Places, Sacred Lands" which lists several words originating from various locations of the United States and the tribal meaning of their names.
Episode credits
Guest stars Michael Ansara
Episode 11
Gregory, the Terrible Eater
30m
Today's subject is goats and what they eat.
Episode credits
Guest stars Marilyn Michaels
Episode 12
Three by the Sea
30m
Three by the Sea
Episode credits
Guest stars Linda Gelman, Christopher Oyen, Carol Schindler, Paul Zuckerman
Episode 13
Arthur's Eyes
30m
LaVar explores seeing and our other senses, as Bill Cosby tells the story of how the young aardvark, Arthur Read acquired his pair of glasses.
Episode credits
Guest stars Bill Cosby
Episode 14
The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash
30m
The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash
Episode credits
Guest stars Kaleena Kiff, Laura Hicks
Episode 15
Ty's One Man Band
30mfinale
LeVar is ready to find music everywhere, and he does. This show includes the animation Onomatopoeia. Lou Rawls reads the story of Ty's One-Man Band, about a man who teaches a boy how to make music using household items.
Episode credits
Guest stars Lou Rawls
Episode information updated Sep 3, 2026
More about Reading Rainbow
Cast
LeVar BurtonSelf - Host
Julia ChildSelf - Narrator (voice)
Ruth BuzziSelf - Narrator (voice)
Madeline KahnSelf - Narrator (voice)
James Earl JonesSelf - Narrator (voice)
Vincent GardeniaSelf - Narrator (voice)
Lauren TomSelf - Narrator (voice)Patrick McCaffreySelf - Narrator (voice)
Production details
- Status
- Ended
- Series type
- Scripted
- Episodes
- 155
- Original language
- English
Networks & production
PBSUnited States
Lancit Media ProductionsUnited States- RCN Entertainment
- On-Screen Entertainment
BTPM PBSUnited States
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