With a relaunch of “Reading Rainbow”, children’s programming is about to be much more colorful.
This weekend, the classic TV show, which aired more than a decade ago, returns as interactive streaming program called “Reading Rainbow Live”. Vladimir Duthiers of CBS News was invited to introduce himself as a guest following the announcement of CBS Mornings.
The show may look and sound a little different than it used to be, but the message is always the same: reading can take you anywhere and help you be anything. Now, this message will be delivered through music and a diverse cast of young performers known as the Rainbows.
“We wanted to make sure kids could see themselves in the Rainbows,” creative director Amy Guglielmo told CBS News.
Representing their spectators is a responsibility that the Rainbows, including Kendall Joseph, Isabella Wager, and Eli Hamilton, have in mind.
“We have this opportunity to give voice to children and people of color, I think it’s so … it’s beautiful,” Hamilton said. “I really think it’s so special because as a kid, I was always wondering, ‘When will I see myself on TV?’ And now I’m here giving that voice to other people, you know? “
“I think it’s been a long time coming, you know?” said Wager. “And I think it’s time for many of us to step back and give that space to other people.”
Beginning in 1983 with beloved host LeVar Burton, “Reading Rainbow” was a common feature in U.S. homes and classrooms for more than two decades. It was created to address what was known as the “phenomenon of summer loss”: the idea that children lose some of their reading skills during the summer school holidays.
This new iteration addresses the loss of another type: the pandemic.
Executive producer Steven Beer brought the idea to Nancy Hammond, who oversees the “Reading Rainbow” brand.
“There’s no magic book that tells you how to act during a pandemic …” Beer said. “And it seemed to me that bringing something as simple and basic as books, music, dance and adventure was a great getaway. So simple, but really so important right now.”
The next program will not be broadcast on PBS like its predecessor, but its format will be familiar to remote learning generation. Viewers can watch “Reading Rainbow Live” online.
“It was created … not to be a passive activity where kids are just watching something on a screen. It’s active,” Hammond told CBS News. “After the kids see the event, they will continue dancing. They will sing these songs because they will stay.”
Director Bat-Sheva Guez brought this vision to life.
Guez said the goal was to “create a space that is, like, homely, genuine and serious,” so that spectators “would just like to participate and be a part and parcel of the club.”
Joseph, one of the Rainbows, said, “I feel like our imagination is like our greatest superpower.”
“For me, reading books when I was young really helped me, like, dream, and believe I could be anything I wanted to be,” Joseph said. “One of my goals with this program is to give this message to the younger generation.”
“Reading Rainbow Live” premieres Sunday, March 6 at 12:30 p.m., Eastern Standard Time. It will be played on the Looped virtual platform.
You can find more information about the program here.
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