A young girl's father loses his job.

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 s…

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 …

Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain

Louis the Fish

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 (amo…

Liang and the Magic Paintbrush

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.

Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe

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" w…

Today's subject is goats and what they eat.

Three by the Sea

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.

The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash

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 usi…

LeVar goes to South Carolina to ride a hot-air balloon. In another study of how air travel has advanced, schoolchildren visit the Space Camp for Aspiring Young Astronauts. William Windom reads the sto…

Simon's Book

Ox-Cart Man

Mystery on the Docks

A Chair for My Mother

Lavar visits a lumberjack camp in the forest. Today's featured book is based on the legend of Paul Bunyan, the giant woodsman.

The Patchwork Quilt

Hill of Fire

LeVar has entered a bicycle race. He's in competition not just with the other bikers, but with himself as well. This program also includes a lengthy piece on a karate class. Comedienne Gilda Radner re…

LeVar visits a pig farm in Hawaii to find out why pigs are so popular. He also interviews Kermit the Frog to ask him about his famous girlfriend, Miss Piggy.James Coco reads the story of Perfect the P…

LeVar goes to a 24-hour diner to look into night jobs, and profiles people who have occupations in the evening and early morning hours, like radio DJ's, bakers, cab drivers, and police officers. In a …

Alistair is on his way to return library books when he is captured in a spaceship by two creatures called Goots. Also includes Library of Congress, Maps and Globes, Conan the Librarian, Book Care and …

Pictures, dialogues, poems, and stories portray a variety of emotions we all feel - jealousy, sadness, fear, anger, joy, love, etc. Also includes Let's Make Music, Feeling Sad, Meet Koko and Penny and…

LeVar visits a pig farm in Hawaii to find out why pigs are so popular. He also interviews Kermit the Frog to ask him about his famous girlfriend, Miss Piggy.James Coco reads the story of Perfect the P…

When Miles gets a saxophone for his birthday, neither his parents nor his neighborhood can stand the racket! No one guesses what's in store for them, when Miles and his Swamp Band receive and invitati…

Is there life on other planets and stars? LaVar sends a message to aliens who might be watching and a radio telescope in Puerto Rico is profiled. Today's featured story is about a being from outer spa…

LeVar spends a day at the dairy seeing how cows are milked and understanding what care cows need. Alaina Reed Hall reads the story of The Milk Makers, detailing how milk is collected from cows, proces…

LaVar visits the Philadelphia Zoo in Pennsylvania to learn about animals with horns and antlers. In today's featured story, a young girl wakes up one morning to discover she's grown her own pair of an…

LeVar goes on a search for microorganisms, distinguishing the good ones from the bad. An animated satire of Hill Street Blues (which ran 1981-1987) shows white blood cells ready to fight germs. Molly …

In one of the rare times Reading Rainbow uses a studio set, LeVar tells about storytelling through music. The then-new art of music videos is first up, with clips of Who's Johnny (among others). Pete …

LeVar visits a beehive to look into beekeeping and how honey is made. Barbara Feldon narrates The Life Cycle of the Honeybee, which goes into detail about how bees make hives in natural habitats such …

Sada Thompson reads the story of Abbie, the eldest daughter of a family that tends a lighthouse, and how she had to keep the lamps working during a storm while her father was in the city getting suppl…

LeVar wants to find the answer to the old question, "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" Posing as field reporter for E.G.G.-TV , he uncovers other discoveries instead, such as loggerhead sea t…

LeVar provides insight on Japanese culture. Keye Luke reads the story of a kind restaurant owner who is thanked by a customer with a magical crane made from a napkin, whose dancing spectacle soon brin…

In a small boat on the Chesapeake Bay, LeVar is on the lookout for ducks who are spending the winter. During the trip, he gets a chance to see a duck up close and show how a couple turns a block of wo…

A totally unreal hat store called "Hats... to Where?" sells hats that transport customers to all parts of the world. LeVar whisks himself to the horse racetrack at Turf Paradise, to a model train disp…

This looks like an extension of the previous episode, but it is a separate venture. LeVar appears in proper attire for an English Renaissance festival. Ralph Waite reads the fairy tale of Rumpelstilts…

The best of friends are those whose friendships endure everything. And it extends to all walks of life, particularly to dogs. Liza Siegler reads the story of two girls who are best friends, but their …

LeVar travels to an old west town made to look like life in the 1880's to see how times have changed in the last 100 years. He explores how cowboys lived and traveled, and he also shows how stunt ride…

LeVar spends a day on the Caribbean island of Montserrat. With the featured book as his guide, LeVar drives around the coastline, visits an open market, and gets a glimpse of a mountain frog. Ron Fost…

In both the featured story and on the set of the show "Star Trek: the Next Generation" (which LeVar also stars on) we learn how TV shows are made and how actors in costumes and special effects can mak…

With microorganisms under his belt, LeVar now goes on the lookout for insects.

LeVar tries to have lunch at a diner, but soon finds himself thrust into work. For some reason, he just doesn't understand luncheonette lingo.

Can inanimate things come to life, as the feature book suggests? LeVar finds out for himself in a factory where all the goods for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade are stored.

In New York again, LeVar goes to get a tailor-made jacket. In between comes a visit to the Fashion Institute of Technology.

LeVar is in Tennessee where he is going to a barn dance. Along the way, he meets the band who will be playing their Bluegrass music and meets a man who makes his own fiddles. At the barn, LeVar also l…

There's more to the cat than meets the eye. It culminates with one of the stars of what was then believed to be Broadway's permanence: CATS. Jane Curtain narrates the featured book about a girl who wa…

What's a handicap to a determined individual? With LeVar camping out by himself, the show banks itself on a news anchor who had been born with deformed hands and feet. The featured story, Knots on a C…

A camel is out of place in Boston, but LeVar rides one in preparation for a show that takes a close look at mummies. Corrine Orr narrates "Mummies Made in Egypt", a book that gives all the facts about…

LeVar celebrates the culture of Africa in New York City's Central Park where he learns how African drums are made. Phylicia Rashid narrates Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters, an African tale about a villag…

LeVar is sailing on the Atlantic coast whale watching. He and a team of scientists learn about how whales eat and how they live in their habitats in the ocean. Jane Pauley narrates the true story of H…

LeVar decides it's time to clean out the things cluttering up his house. What he finds is only memories of his entire life. None of this is junk, as it turns out. Michelle Mariano reads the story of a…

LeVar makes a pizza, while "The Wonder Years" star Josh Saviano reads a story about about a boy who's father runs a pizzeria.

Ludlow is a big grump who never laughs or even smiles. One night he has the funniest dream ever. When he starts laughing, the whole world laughs with him. Also includes LeVar "Clowning Around", Stand …

It's spring 1989, and LeVar gets in the training camp of the Oakland Athletics (back when it was Tony LaRussa, Dave Stewart, Mark McGwire and Terry Steinbach) for a program on baseball. Edward Asner r…

Within the sea, lies a combination of scuba diving and (just slightly) snorkeling as LeVar and a friend of his dive beneath the ocean to explore a living coral reef and the life around it. Fran Brill …

LeVar explores the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, photographing its natural environment and learning about how animals in the desert adapt to this kind of climate. Philip Basco narrates the feature book o…

LeVar, the jack of all trades, becomes a garage mechanic for this episode. Much of it fantasizes about dream cars. Then comes a real dream car, which a man has decorated, followed by stock footage of …

Focusing on planes in this episode, LeVar takes a flying lesson and flies a plane himself. Also included: the activities of a top-notch airline in flight, as well as a look at the people who made the …

Levar Burton works out in a gym and talks about the determination it takes to succeed in sports. Burton narrates two poems from "Sports Pages" by Arnold Adoff. Burton visits with a young Olympic gymna…

Burton introduces the episode by talking about cavern and cave exploring. The featured book, "The Magic School Bus Inside The Earth", is narrated by Keshia Knight Pulliam. Eccentric Ms. Frizzle takes …

LeVar takes a journey aboard a fishing boat to explore small ocean wildlife, such as plankton, sea horses, and small sharks as he learns information from oceanographers about caring for the seas and o…

Wheels are set in motion for this program. In-line skating, then a brand-new commodity, get featured side-by-side with bicycles. Tom Matsusaka narrates The Bicycle Man, a story about an American soldi…

LeVar visits a famed wax sculpture museum, where an expert wax artist makes a statue of him. Julia Child reads the story of two children helping their grandmother plan a party, and how they accidental…

A hurricane of the coast of Florida in 1662 caused the Atocha, a Spanish galleon to sink. This book describes the many-years-long search for the treasure believed to be on it. Also contains The Atocha…

LeVar goes to a totally-fictitious spot to find inventors from all eras. True to form, these inventors come from the distant past, Reading Rainbow's near-present, and the future. Arnold Stang narrates…

LeVar is a taxi driver in New York for a day, but the focus of this show soon lands on the subject of a service dog as well as how dogs are such good pets to us. Vincent Gardenia reads the story of an…

LeVar's featured story is about a young Native American tribesman who finds his spiritual calling in life as a natural painter. His assignment is a special task that will influence him and his work ha…

Viewers learn the many uses for wire: from creating objects of wire art and transporting people on the longest tramway in the world, to playing an integral part in a circus act.

There's a wide job market out there, but just what kind of job does a person want? In this program are both conventional and unconventional occupations to straddle the flow of the feature book.

In this episode, all is not what it seems as LeVar demonstrates optical illusions from the book by Arline and Joseph Baum. He also shows how special effects are created for television; meets artist Ch…

LeVar spends the day following around wildlife artist and children's book author Jim Arnofsky, who shows LeVar how he is inspired to create the stories by the signs of animals around the woods near hi…

Turning even crazier, the show plays with our heads in more ways than one. LeVar is the "Head reporter" of a mock-news program called "HEADline News Report" and "reports" on a truly head-spinning arra…

LeVar takes a train ride from California to Washington state. Along the way, we learn about trains and how the transcontinental railroad came to be. Brian Dennehy narrates the true story of how a youn…

LeVar travels to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It is a perfect spot for a few poetry readings and winter observations. Some of which include sledding down hills, playing in the snow, building snow-people, an…

LeVar's presence looms over New York once again, this time literally. He's taken to the roof of one of the nondescript skyscrapers, very close to the bridge mentioned in the featured book, Tar Beach.

LeVar visits the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC, and discusses its historical significance to helping people learn about the service men and woman who died in the war. Artist Mia Lin, who …

LeVar goes to Florida to help take care of manatee with a crew of marine biology experts. He gets to feed a baby manatee, and assists in returning a rehabilitated manatee back to the ocean. Jason Roba…

LeVar takes up decorating eggs and shows us that they're one of nature's extraordinary wonders. The author of the featured book shows us how she got the idea for the story. We also see how animals in …

LeVar takes a spirited leap into the world of dance. He gets a mambo lesson from Latin dancer, Jackie Rios, and has a hop while learning some fresh hip-hop moves. LeVar shows that there are different …

LeVar discusses the weather: how it is traced, tracked, and covered in the media. Kids our shown how they can make a "soda bottle tornado", how a barometer works, and read the book, "Come a Tide". All…

This episode of READING RAINBOW, "Piggy in the Puddle," features a look at the art of claymation and the joys of mud. Claymation artists Becky and Cody introduce host LeVar Burton to the art of clayma…

LeVar journeys to the shores of Sanibel Island, off the Gulf Coast of Florida, to witness the tides, feel the sand, and examine some plant life.

What is it like to be adopted? In what may be the high point of the 10th season, this show has a lengthy sequence about adopted children in families. Andrew Lei narrates Through Moon and Stars and Nig…

LeVar cruises the musical realms of New York in a program featuring the Boys Choir of Harlem. James Avery narrates the tale of Berlioz the Bear, a story about a bass-playing bear who gets in a jam. Hi…

LeVar visits a theater to discuss acting and how pretending to be someone else sometimes helps people express themselves in different ways. He also visits with his friend, Whoopi Goldberg, who was lau…

As LeVar discusses his favorite parts of a newspaper and interviews other people for different viewpoints, other functions of a newspaper staff are explored. Cartoonist Ray Billingsley, who draws Curt…

LeVar pays a visit to a family friend, who is Jewish, to learn how to prepare special foods served during a Seder dinner, like Challah bread and potato latkes. Reizyl Bozyk and Rick English read the f…

LeVar explores the rain forest and animals in their habitats by visiting a park that recreates the rain forest environment artificially to make the animals comfortable. This episode also includes a fi…

This episode takes a look-in at deaf culture. LeVar discusses forms of communication that doesn't involve words, like hand signals, mime, and gestures, like in charades. He also asks a friend who is a…

LeVar reflects on a time when Africans were brought to America as slaves. He talks about how African-Americans risked their lives for freedom, and discusses how the music from slavery times effected t…

One thing leads to another in this episode, with LeVar in a bowling alley, showing how certain actions lead to consequences. Included is a piece on an expert at domino displays and domino art. Beth Ho…

LeVar sets out to build a bird house, prompting an examination of animal habitats. Eartha Kitt reads the story of a growing hermit crab, who is now too large for his current shell, and all the difficu…

LeVar discusses how people can help to preserve animals and plants in nature that are in danger of extinction. Stories profiled include scientists working to improve the bald eagle population by raisi…

What's fact and what's fiction? What's the truth and what's absurd? LeVar looks into unusual stories and tries to distinguish the actual news from fabrications. Charles Kimbrough reads a story (set in…

Observing people is the theme of the day, as LeVar finds himself with time to kill before a business meeting and chooses to watch children at a playground while he waits.

LeVar spends the day in a barrio in East Los Angeles studying Mexican culture as he visits friends who make their own guitars, eats some traditional food, and discusses the cultural differences that a…

In this episode of Reading Rainbow, LeVar shows the kids the different sights and sounds of Summer. The different wildlife of Summer, and how they live. Also, there are segments on the different seaso…

There is still use to a tree stump, as the feature book entails. Eli Wallach reads the story about the lifetime of a tree, and how different animals and people made use of the tree during its many sta…

Creativity is the theme as LeVar spends the day painting a mural and other artwork. Michael Learned tells the story of Appelemondo, a boy whose daydreams were so vivid that they could be seen developi…

Young people who emigrated to the United States from Asian countries are interviewed and discuss having to learn a new language and fitting in with other children their age while dealing with language…

LeVar explains the postal service and shows how important mail as a form of communication.

LeVar discusses bats and the importance of sleep. The featured story is of a bat who is separated from her family and adopted by a bird.

In this episode of Reading Rainbow: LeVar shows the kids how shadows and lights make up our everyday lives. Andrea Davis is featured as a photographer who shoots different parts of the city and develo…

Once again the show looks into firsts in air travel, recounting great pilots such as Bessie Coleman, Amelia Earhart and the featured book's heroine, Ruth Law. Linda Lavin narrates the story of Ruth La…

LeVar visits Watts, a neighborhood in Los Angeles. The featured story is about Simon Rhodia and The Watts Towers. Also featured are young Watts residents trying to make the neighborhood a better place…

A telephone call has distracted LeVar just as he was about to show the viewers a book about cats. While LeVar's away, his dog, Luke, has the ability to talk and take over her hosting duties. Jo Hayden…

Alejandro gives the gift of water to various desert animals. Also includes Desert Scenes, At the Oasis, Niagara Falls and book reviews for It Rained on the Desert Today, The Desert Alphabet Book and W…

LeVar is back in New York (as he always seems to be), this time on Broadway. It's a sign mecca, and part of this program shows the making of a huge advertisement. Jamie Farr tells the story about a cr…

LeVar gets in his share of scientific method while at an amusement park. He answers questions by observing and using trial and error. Along the way, we learn how different kinds of scientists find ans…

Homelessness is discussed as families have lost jobs and homes through tragic circumstances. One family, who lost their home in a fire and now reside in a shelter, is profiled. Daniel Saltzman reads F…

LeVar visits his favorite barbershop for a trim, and reads the featured book while waiting his turn. Regina Taylor tells the story of how Uncle Jed, who had a dream of owning his own barbershop and ke…

LeVar and a friend say following recipes and cooking foods are very much like science experiments. They work on recipes which include lasagna made with rice, a marinara sauce, and apple raisin muffins…

It's easy to get flashbacks while watching Reading Rainbow. Now it's LeVar's turn, as he gets in touch with visions of "his boyhood." Matthew Broderick reads "Owen," about a little mouse who's very at…

In this episode of Reading Rainbow Levar ponders what it takes to count to one million. Levar visits a Crayola factory and learns how crayons are made into many different colors and sizes. Levar then …

A girl, whose parents are divorced, doesn't see her father very often but frequently thinks about him and treasures the time they have together. Also contains Family Day Picnic, Love to Go Around, A S…

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 …

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 …

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 …

Music and orchestras are profiled in this tuneful show. The episode soon gets rhythmic when LeVar introduces the viewers to the theatrical percussion group, Stomp. Gregory Hines reads Zin! Zin! Zin! a…

How babies are born is explored, in great detail, in this episode, as a family welcoming their fourth child is profiled during the last few weeks before delivery. Patrick Stewart reads a poem about ho…

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 e…

As LeVar works to make a clay model of his childhood home as a birthday gift for his mother, artists and their different mediums are profiled. Anna Holbrooks reads the story of Regina, who frets about…

LeVar discusses how people show gratitude for kind acts and how we can repay each other in acts of kindness to spread good will in the world. Nicholson Earl Billey reads the featured story, a poem of …

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. Oth…

A story of a girl bombarded with problems that all seem related to math. Also contains Math is Important in Organizing, Math is an Important Art, Math is Important to Federal Express and book reviews …

Scott Irby Ranier tells a tale of a boy who is followed home by a wave of water after a vacation at the beach, and how he and his family must convince the wave it is better off living in the ocean tha…

LeVar attends a rummage sale to observe how people sometimes barter for items when they don't have money to buy them. Josie de Guzman reads the feature story about a girl who follows her grandmother a…

LeVar explores Broadway as he looks at live entertainment options. Lucie Arnaz reads the feature story, about a young girl who decides to put on a show for her aunt, who usually treats her to Broadway…

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…

LeVar visits the Amazon rain forest to meet the real people profiled in today's featured book, a story about how a young man was chosen to follow around his tribe's medicine man to learn all the natur…

"Pet Stories You Don't Have to Walk", read by Jason Alexander, features stories about pets. LeVar Burton throws a birthday party for his golden retriever, Roy, and treats the dog to a bath at a pet sp…

LeVar explores way that young people can earn money before they're old enough for official jobs in this show. Andrea McArdle reads the feature story of a group of kids who decide to run a lemonade dri…

In the first of two map shows, LeVar Burton wants to show how to use maps. But he is not Rick Steves. Tim Conway reads a story about two boys who decide to try a new route to school after getting ther…

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.

LeVar discusses cathartic ways to adjust to losing a loved one in this episode. He and fellow viewers talk about family members that are now gone that they miss, and how they try to remember the good …

LeVar visits a school in New York City to ask the class how they have coped since the past year when the World Trade Center was destroyed nearby and they had to evacuate and some children lost family …

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 tea…

LeVar observes activity in a playground to see how people do and don't get along with each other. Ed Harris reads Enemy Pie, a story about a boy who dislikes one of his new classmates, and how his fat…

LeVar visits the United Nations building to learn more about how different countries of the world try to work together. Naomi Judd reads Our Big Home, a poem about how everything in the world is conne…

The series tackles a delicate subject of how some children must deal with a parent in prison. Alfre Woodard reads Visiting Day, a tale about a young girl preparing to visit her father in jail on his b…

Eliza Dushku reads a story about a girl attending private school who attempts to create her own unique style without breaking any of the school's strict dress code rules.

Eliza Dushku reads a story about a girl attending private school who attempts to create her own unique style without breaking any of the school's strict dress code rules.

As LeVar investigates types of communication, Freddie Prinze Jr. reads Beegu, the story of an alien who visits Earth while lost from its parents and befriends a group of young children who help Beegu …

Jordan Puryear reads "Two Old Potatoes and Me," about a girl who works with her father to recycle two rotted potatoes by replanting them using the sprouts to grow a whole new crop of potatoes. LeVar, …

In addition to discussing accomplishing difficult tasks, LeVar profiles the New York children's theater group Tada, as they prepare auditions for their newest show. Richard Gear reads The Biggest Test…

LeVar discusses different rites of passage in growing up. The book "I Lost My Tooth in Africa" is read about a young girl who loses her first tooth while visiting her father's family in Africa, and ho…

LeVar profiles Children For Children, a New York based youth organization that creates care packages for relief to children affected by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Elizabeth Jute reads a story a…

James Avery reads a story written by identical twin brothers Tiki and Ronde Barber, who became professional football players, and how they learned the importance of teamwork when they played together …

As LeVar helps his wife and daughter construct his family tree, Diahann Carroll narrates Show Way, in which the author chronicles her family back to her Great, Great, Great, Great Grandmother, who was…