If I close my eyes tight with a book in my hands and imagine myself as 5-year-old me, I can almost hear the music starting to play—
Butterfly in the sky . . . I can go twice as high.
Take a look, it’s in a book!
A reading rainbow . . .
Reading Rainbow was a staple of my childhood, and probably yours, too.
Not only were the books engaging, there was something magical about the way host LeVar Burton read them to us through the screen. His smooth voice made stories come alive for an entire generation of kids—and now he’s set to do the same for a whole new generation.
No, Reading Rainbow isn’t coming back (please bring it back, TV powers that be?!), but Burton is launching a livestream on Twitter this Friday, April 3rd to read to families in the midst of a global pandemic.
Good Morning, Y’all…
I am thrilled to announce that this coming Friday, APRIL 3RD, I’ll be reading a selection from master storyteller, @neilhimself, Neil Gaiman. 6pm Pacific – 9pm Eastern. ##bydhttmwfi pic.twitter.com/gWGemxeuxl— LeVar Burton (@levarburton) April 1, 2020
Burton will read on Mondays at 12 p.m. EST to children on his Twitter account @levarburton. Wednesdays will be for young adults at 6 p.m. EST, and Fridays will feature books for adults at 9 p.m. EST.
In a tweet last week where he floated the idea, Burton wrote, “I figured that during this difficult time I could contribute by reading aloud to folks who could use some diversion for themselves and their families.”
As a mom of four who’s just one of the millions trying to soften an uncertain, unprecedented time for her children, I’m 100% onboard with this soothing diversion.
Burton hosts a podcast called “LeVar Burton Reads” but it is, of course, an audio-only format and geared toward adults.
This family will certainly be tuning in—and maybe, just maybe, if we all close our eyes tight enough, LeVar Burton’s voice will whisk us all away to a simpler time on a reading rainbow.