Reading Rainbow Returns as Mobile App

For 26 years, PBS’ “Reading Rainbow” brought books to life and sparked a love of reading in countless children. Now, four years after its cancellation, the program is back in the form of a mobile app.

“Reading Rainbow” host LeVar Burton and his multimedia company RRKidz hope to accomplish with the app what they were wildly successful at accomplishing for almost three decades on television: Using the prevailing technology of the day to turn kids on to literature and the joys and benefits of reading.

“If you want to reach kids today,” Burton told the Washington Post in a recent interview, “You need to be on a mobile device.”

The app will allow children to watch “video field trips” much like those featured in the classic television series and hosted by Burton. The app is designed to appeal to kids’ exploratory nature, with different virtual islands that correspond to different themes kids might take an interest in. Kids can download books that feature games and rewards that encourage further reading.

The app is free to download, but users must pay for items within the app such as ebooks. RRKidz currently charges $9.99 for one month and $29.99 for six months.

The return of “Reading Rainbow” is great news for people who grew up with the show and are now having children of their own.

On a final note, I cannot publish this article without posting this, so enjoy!