Butterfly in the Sky: The Story of Reading Rainbow

When I was a kid, one of my favorite things to do on a Sunday morning was to visit the church library after the morning worship service. Our church library had a wide array of children’s literature, including multiple books about dinosaurs. These books with their colorful illustrations functioned like a magical portal. On the way home from church, as I flipped through the pages, I was transported from the backseat of our 1985 brown station wagon to an ancient and lush landscape filled with giant reptiles.

Reading Rainbow was an American educational children’s program that originally aired on PBS from 1983 to 2006. Believing books could act as portals to other worlds, a young team of imaginative producers created the TV show with an inspiring purpose beyond teaching kids to read: they wanted kids to fall in love with books.

Searching for a show host and inspired by Fred Rogers (Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood), the producers initially struggled to find the right person. In the end, they look a long shot and ask LeVar Burton, who was a rising celebrity at the time because of his starring role in the groundbreaking eight-hour made-for-TV story about slavery in America—Roots. Burton said yes and instantly became a beloved host while demonstrating a unique gift—the ability to reach through the camera lens and connect with kids in a way that made them feel included and important.

In the documentary about the show, called Butterfly in the Sky, filmmakers turn the spotlight on some of the children who did book endorsements on the show. With no script, no cue card, no coaching, the endorsements are wonderful and quirky. Another highlight retraces how the show ingeniously used celebrity voices to narrate the books. Many of these trained actors brought their best to the performance, especially James Earl Jones (who postponed his recording so he could practice more). One other beautiful highlight shows Reading Rainbow visiting the children who were in a school near the twin towers when they fell on Sept. 11, 2001. The sensitive way Burton talks to the kids and the song they write together will make viewers tear up.

Spanning an incredible 23 years on television, Reading Rainbow garnered over 200 broadcast awards, including a Peabody Award and 26 Emmy Awards, 10 of which were in the "Outstanding Children's Series" category. Butterfly in the Sky is a thoughtful and entertaining 90-minute trip down memory lane and a documentary well worth your time—but you don’t have to take my word for it. (TV–PG, Netflix)