children's television series
Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run during the early eveni ...
that originally aired on PBS and afterwards PBS Kids and
PBS Kids Go!
PBS Kids Go! was an educational television brand used by PBS for programs aimed at early elementary-age children, in contrast to the younger, preschool target demographic of PBS Kids. Most PBS member stations aired the PBS Kids Go! block on ...
from July 11, 1983 to November 10, 2006, with reruns continuing to air until August 28, 2009. 155 30-minute episodes were produced over 21 seasons. Before its official premiere, the show aired for test audiences in the
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the so ...
and
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...
markets (their PBS member stations, the Nebraska ETVow Nebraska Public Mediaand WNED-TV, respectively, were co-producers of the show).
The show was designed to encourage a love of books and reading among children. In 2012, an iPad and Kindle Fire educational interactive book reading and video field trip application was launched bearing the name of the program.
The
public television
Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...
series garnered over 200 broadcast awards, including a
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...
and 26
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
s, 10 of which were in the "Outstanding Children's Series" category. The concept of a reading series for children originated with Twila Liggett, PhD who in partnership with Cecily Truett Lancit and Larry Lancit, at Lancit Media Productions in New York created the television series. The original team also included Lynne Brenner Ganek, Ellen Schecter, and host LeVar Burton. The show's title was conceived by an unknown intern at WNED.
Each episode centered on a topic from a featured children's book that was explored through a number of on-location segments or stories. The show also recommended books for children to look for when they went to the library. It is the third-longest running children's series in PBS history, after ''
Sesame Street
''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) and ...
'' and ''
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' (sometimes shortened to ''Mister Rogers'') is an American half-hour educational children's television series that ran from 1968 to 2001, and was created and hosted by Fred Rogers. The series ''Misterogers'' debu ...
''. It was also one of the first PBS shows to be broadcast in stereo.
After the show's cancellation on November 10, 2006, reruns aired until August 28, 2009, when it was removed from the schedule. On June 20, 2012, the Reading Rainbow App was released for the iPad and, within 36 hours, became the #1 most-downloaded educational app in the iTunes App Store. Developed by LeVar Burton and his company, RRKIDZ, the app allows children to read unlimited books, explore video field trips starring Burton, and earn rewards for reading. On the week of July 11, 2013, ''Reading Rainbow'' celebrated its 30th anniversary.
In May 2014, a
Kickstarter
Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, K ...
campaign was launched to raise funds to make the app available online and for
Android
Android may refer to:
Science and technology
* Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human
* Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system
** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...
, game consoles, smartphones, and other streaming devices along with creating a classroom version with the subscription fee waived for up to 13,000 disadvantaged classrooms. The effort met its initial fundraising goal of $1,000,000 in 11 hours, and ended a few days later at $5,408,916 from 105,857 backers. This campaign led to the launch of ''Skybrary by Reading Rainbow'', a web-based expansion of the Reading Rainbow app experience.
Due to a legal dispute, licensing of the ''Reading Rainbow'' brand was revoked from RRKidz in October 2017, and all its platforms (including Skybrary) were rebranded to ''LeVar Burton Kids''.
An interactive revival titled ''Reading Rainbow Live'' debuted on Looped in March 2022.
Show details
''Reading Rainbow'' was hosted by actor and executive producer LeVar Burton, who was then known for his role in '' Roots''. The show was produced first by Lancit Media Entertainment (1983-2001), and then, by On-Screen Entertainment (2002-2006). Every episode featured a different children's
picture book
A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The images ...
, often narrated by a celebrity. The featured story's illustrations were scanned by the camera in a technique known as "iconographic animation" of each page shown in succession, although on certain occasions the shots would be animated.
After the featured story, Burton visited many places relating to the episode's theme, often featuring interviews with guests. The first episode of Season 6, which featured the book ''The Bionic Bunny Show'' by Marc Brown and his wife Laurene, included a behind-the-scenes look at the TV series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', in which Burton was a main cast member.
The last segment of each show, called Book Reviews, began with Burton's introductory catchphrase, "But you don't have to take my word for it," and featured children giving capsule reviews of books they liked. At the end of almost every episode, Burton signs-off with "I'll see you next time", with a review of the books featured in that episode.
The series' pilot, which was created and produced in 1981 and aired as the show's 8th episode in 1983, featured the book '' Gila Monsters Meet You at the Airport'' by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat and was narrated by Doug Parvin. Producer Larry Lancit's daughters, Shaune and Caitlin, were often featured in the series, notably as the children thanking the sponsors at the beginning and end of the show.
Theme song and opening sequence
The show's theme song was written by Steve Horelick, Dennis Neil Kleinman, and Janet Weir; the former also served as the series' music director and composer for all 155 episodes and received an Emmy nomination in 2007 for his work on the series. Over the show's 23-year run, it went through three different versions of the theme song. The original theme (used from 1983 to 1998) was performed by Tina Fabrique and featured one of the first uses of the Buchla synthesizer in a TV theme song. The original opening sequence, which consisted of an animated butterfly transforming the surroundings of young children reading books into animated fantasy lands, was used until November 13, 1998. The introductory animation was produced by Ovation Films, Inc. and designed and animated by Bill Davis.
On November 16, 1998, episodes began using a new live-action opening sequence and featured CGI in a space-themed world, with a new arrangement of the original song by Steve Horelick and performed by
Johnny Kemp
Jonathan "Johnny" Kemp (August 2, 1959 – April 16, 2015) was a Bahamian singer, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a songwriter in late 1979 and is perhaps best known for his solo work, including his single " Just Got Pai ...
. A third intro was used starting on January 3, 2000, with a rerecorded version with the original lyrics performed by R&B artist Chaka Khan. This opening sequence is mostly the same as the second one, but features footage of Burton in place of some of the animated elements.
Final years as a TV series (2005–2006)
Original production of the series was to have ended after April 4, 2005, with the show continuing to air in
rerun
A rerun or repeat is a rebroadcast of an episode of a radio or television program. There are two types of reruns – those that occur during a hiatus, and those that occur when a program is syndicated.
Variations
In the United Kingdom, the wor ...
s, but host LeVar Burton said on February 7, 2006, that five new episodes of the show would be shot in 2006 despite the continuing financial issues of PBS. The show aired its final original episode on November 10, 2006 and continued to air reruns until August 28, 2009.
Relaunch as an app
Announcement and early developments (2010–2014)
Former executive producer LeVar Burton announced on his Twitter feed on March 19, 2010, that "Reading Rainbow 2.0 is in the works." In 2011, WNED, the PBS affiliate in
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...
that owns the Reading Rainbow brand, licensed rights to the brand to Burton and his company, RRKidz. On March 4, 2012, he announced that it was the "last day of shooting before launch!"
On June 13, 2012, in a special presentation at
Apple Inc
Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, United States. Apple is the largest technology company by revenue (totaling in 2021) and, as of June 2022, is the world's biggest company ...
's annual
World Wide Developers Conference
The Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is an information technology conference held annually by Apple Inc. The conference is usually held at Apple Park in California. The event is usually used to showcase new software and technologies in th ...
, Burton and his business partner, Mark Wolfe, introduced the new ''Reading Rainbow'' iPad App. It became available in Apple's iTunes Store on June 20, 2012, and within 36 hours was the #1 educational app. In January 2014, the Reading Rainbow App surpassed 10M books read and video field trips watched by children in 18 months.
Kickstarter revival campaign and aftermath (2014–22)
On May 28, 2014, LeVar Burton started a Kickstarter fund to revive the show and materials. In under 12 hours the show had reached its $1 million goal. The new goal is to create an educational version for schools to use, free of cost to those schools in need, and help America get back to high literacy rates. They are also going to create a website for students to use to assist them with learning how to read. The following day, May 29, 2014, they reached $2million (double their goal) at 1:15 pm. PST. The campaign raised $5,408,916 on Kickstarter with another $1million from ''
Family Guy
''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their ...
'' creator/animator
Seth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (; born October 26, 1973) is an American actor, animator, filmmaker, comedian, and singer. He is the creator and star of the television series ''Family Guy'' (since 1999) and '' The Orville'' (since 2017), and co-creato ...
and $70,000 raised via direct contributions. The grand total was $6,478,916.
With 105,857 backers, the campaign holds Kickstarter's record for most backers and is the 8th highest amount raised on Kickstarter (as of June 1, 2015).
The first product of the Kickstarter campaign was ''Skybrary by Reading Rainbow''. Launched in May 2015, it was a web based subscription service that duplicated the Reading Rainbow app experience. In addition to narrating many of the books, Burton hosted video fieldtrips which connected kids to real world experiences at places like NASA HQ and Niagara Falls.
In March 2016, RRKidz launched a new online educational service called ''Reading Rainbow Skybrary for Schools'', which followed the same mission of the television series, while expanding to integrate into classroom curriculums.
In August 2017, WNED filed a wide-ranging lawsuit against Burton and RRKidz that demanded Burton's company hand over administrative access to other websites and social media accounts. The lawsuit also sought to enjoin Burton from using the ''Reading Rainbow'' catchphrase, "But you don't have to take my word for it," on his podcast.
In October 2017, WNED and RRKidz settled out of court. While the exact terms were confidential, the end result was that RRKidz was no longer a licensee of the ''Reading Rainbow'' brand. RRKidz was rebranded ''LeVar Burton Kids'' and its services (including Skybrary) removed references to Reading Rainbow. In addition, Burton was allowed to continue using the ''Reading Rainbow'' catchphrase. Visiting the official ''Reading Rainbow'' website provided a page that stated "Recent legal disputes between WNED and LeVar Burton/RRKIDZ have been resolved and RRKIDZ no longer licenses the ''Reading Rainbow'' brand from WNED. WNED is currently working on the next chapter of ''Reading Rainbow'' and will continue its mission of fostering education for a new generation."
WNED announced in November 2018 that research and development had begun on a new ''Reading Rainbow'' program thanks to a $200,000 grant from
The John R. Oishei Foundation
John R. Oishei (18 January 1886 – 27 January 1968) was a businessman who founded Trico products and became one of Buffalo’s wealthiest citizens and philanthropists.
Early life
John R. Oishei was born in Buffalo in 1886 to Charles Humbert Oi ...
.
Skybrary was acquired by Reading is Fundamental in March 2019.
In December 2021, it was announced that the show would be revived as ''Reading Rainbow Live'', an interactive version featuring multiple hosts, dubbed "The Rainbows". The series debuted on Looped on March 6, 2022.
Accolades
Animation producers
Feature Book filming
The photographing of the Feature Book segments was by:
* Centron Films (1983–1987; renamed in 1986 to "Centron Productions Inc.")
* Loren Dolezal (1988–1998; renamed in 1995 to "Dolezal Animation"); Take Ten Animation teamed up with Dolezal from 1995 to 1998.
* On Screen Entertainment (2000–2006)
Roger Holden designer of the digital animation photography system used by Centron Films to film the Feature Book segments (1983–87)
Jason Alexander
Jay Scott Greenspan (born September 23, 1959), known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor, comedian, host and director. An Emmy and Tony winner, he is best known for his role as George Costanza in the television series ''Se ...
(''Pet Stories You Don't Have to Walk'')
* Maya Angelou (''All the Colors of the Race'')
* Michael Ansara (''The Gift of the Sacred Dog'', Sheila MacGill-Callahan's and
Barry Moser
Barry Moser (born 1940) is an American artist and educator, known as a printmaker specializing in wood engravings, and an illustrator of numerous works of literature. He is also the owner and operator of the Pennyroyal Press, an engraving and smal ...
's ''And Still the Turtle Watched'')
* Lucie Arnaz (''When Aunt Lena Did the Rhumba'')
* Edward Asner (''
Dinosaur Bob and His Adventures with the Family Lazardo
William Edward Joyce (born December 11, 1957) is an American writer, illustrator, and filmmaker. He has achieved worldwide recognition as an author, artist and pioneer in the digital and animation industry.
He has written and illustrated over 50 ...
Meanwhile Back at the Ranch
"Meanwhile Back at the Ranch" is a debut song recorded by American country music band The Clark Family Experience. It was released in July 2000 as the first single from their self-titled debut album. The song was written by Wayne Kirkpatrick ...
'')
* Julia Barr (''Raccoons and Ripe Corn'', ''Deer at the Brook'', ''Come Out, Muskrats'')
* Angela Bassett (''The Wonderful Towers of Watts'')
*
Orson Bean
Orson Bean (born Dallas Frederick Burrows; July 22, 1928 – February 7, 2020) was an American film, television, and stage actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He was a game show and talk show host and a "mainstay of Los Angeles’ small ...
(''The Runaway Duck'')
* Philip Bosco (''Desert Giant: The World of the Saguaro Cactus'')
* Reizl Bozyk (''Mrs. Katz and Tush'')
*
Wayne Brady
Wayne Alphonso Brady (born June 2, 1972) is an American television personality, comedian, actor, and singer. He is a regular on the American version of the improvisational comedy television series '' Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' He was the host ...
Diahann Carroll
Diahann Carroll (; born Carol Diann Johnson; July 17, 1935 – October 4, 2019) was an American actress, singer, model, and activist. She rose to prominence in some of the earliest major studio films to feature black casts, including '' C ...
(''
Show Way
''Show Way'' is a 2005 children's picture book by American author Jacqueline Woodson with illustrations by Hudson Talbott. The book was made into a film in 2012 by Weston Woods Studios, Inc., narrated by the author. It recounts the stories of s ...
'')
*
Dixie Carter
Dixie Virginia Carter (May 25, 1939 – April 10, 2010) was an American actress. She starred as Julia Sugarbaker on the sitcom ''Designing Women'' (1986–1993) and as Randi King on the drama series ''Family Law (American TV series), Family La ...
(''Come a Tide'')
* Lacey Chabert (''Snowy Day: Stories and Poems'')
*
Julia Child
Julia Carolyn Child (née McWilliams; August 15, 1912 – August 13, 2004) was an American cooking teacher, author, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, ...
Sesame Street
''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) and ...
Arthur's Eyes
This is a list of episodes for the television series '' Arthur''.
During the course of the series, ''Arthur'' has aired a total of 253 episodes and 7 specials. The series began airing on October 7, 1996, and ended on February 21, 2022. Seasons 1 ...
Jim Cummings
James Jonah Cummings (born November 3, 1952) is an American voice actor. Since beginning his career in the 1980s, he has appeared in almost 400 roles. Cummings has frequently worked with The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros., including as t ...
(''
Frog and Toad
''Frog and Toad'' is a series of easy-reader children's books, written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel.
Each book contains five simple, often humorous, sometimes poignant, short stories chronicling the exploits of an anthropomorphic frog and toad ...
Duncan and Dolores
''Duncan and Dolores'' is an American children's picture book by Barbara Samuels published in 1986. The book won a Christopher Award and was a featured book on an episode of '' Reading Rainbow''. The book was followed by a number of other books ...
'')
*
Tyne Daly
Ellen Tyne Daly (; born February 21, 1946) is an American actress. She has won six Emmy Awards for her television work, a Tony Award and is a 2011 American Theatre Hall of Fame inductee.
Daly began her career on stage in summer stock in New York ...
Follow the Drinking Gourd
''Follow the Drinking Gourd'' is an African-American folk song first published in 1928. The ''Drinking Gourd'' is another name for the Big Dipper Asterism (astronomy), asterism. Folklore has it that Slavery in the United States, enslaved people i ...
Josie de Guzman
Josie de Guzman, also known as Jossie de Guzman, is an American actress and singer of Puerto Rican descent, best known for work in the theatre.Brian Dennehy (''Kate Shelley and the Midnight Express'')
* Phyllis Diller (''Ludlow Laughs'')
*
Michael Dorn
Michael Dorn (born December 9, 1952) is an American actor best known for his role as the Klingon Worf in the '' Star Trek'' franchise. He has appeared more times as a regular cast member than any other ''Star Trek'' actor in the franchise's hist ...
Eliza Dushku
Eliza Patricia Dushku (; born December 30, 1980) is an American actress. She is best known for starring as Faith in the supernatural drama
Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Pl ...
Paul Bunyan
Paul Bunyan is a giant lumberjack and folk hero in American and Canadian folklore. His exploits revolve around the tall tales of his superhuman labors, and he is customarily accompanied by Babe the Blue Ox. The character originated in the ...
Brush
A brush is a common tool with bristles, wire or other filaments. It generally consists of a handle or block to which filaments are affixed in either a parallel or perpendicular orientation, depending on the way the brush is to be gripped duri ...
'')
* Fernando Escandon (''Hill of Fire'')
* Lola Falana (''Sophie and Lou'')
*
Peter Falk
Peter Michael Falk (September 16, 1927 – June 23, 2011) was an American film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in the long-running television series '' Columbo'' (1968–1978, 1989–2003), for which h ...
Richard Gere
Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in '' Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in '' Days of Heaven'' (1978). He came to prominence with ...
Whoopi Goldberg
Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...
*
Jane Goodall
Dame Jane Morris Goodall (; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall on 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English primatologist and anthropologist. Seen as the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best kn ...
Lorne Greene
Lorne Hyman Greene (born Lyon Himan Green; 12 February 1915 – 11 September 1987) was a Canadian actor, musician, singer and radio personality. His notable television roles include Ben Cartwright on the Western ''Bonanza'' and Commander A ...
(''
Ox-Cart Man
''Ox-Cart Man'' is a 1979 children's book written by Donald Hall and illustrated by Barbara Cooney. It won the 1980 Caldecott Medal.American Library AssociationCaldecott Medal Winners, 1938 - Present URL accessed 27 May 2009. The book tells of the ...
'')
*
Ed Harris
Edward Allen Harris (born November 28, 1950) is an American actor and filmmaker. His performances in ''Apollo 13'' (1995), '' The Truman Show'' (1998), '' Pollock'' (2000), and '' The Hours'' (2002) earned him critical acclaim and Academy Award ...
(''Enemy Pie'')
* Jo Hayden (''
Martha Speaks
Martha (Hebrew language, Hebrew: מָרְתָא) is a Bible, biblical figure described in the Gospels of Gospel of Luke, Luke and Gospel of John, John. Together with her siblings Lazarus of Bethany, Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is describe ...
'')
*
Jim Henson
James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, animator, cartoonist, actor, inventor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notice as the creator of The Muppets and '' Fraggle Rock'' (1983–1987) an ...
(
Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog is a Muppet character created and originally performed by Jim Henson. Introduced in 1955, Kermit serves as the everyman protagonist of numerous Muppet productions, most notably '' Sesame Street'' and '' The Muppet Show'', as ...
Gregory Hines
Gregory Oliver Hines (February 14, 1946 – August 9, 2003) was an American dancer, actor, choreographer, and singer. He is one of the most celebrated tap dancers of all time. As an actor, he is best known for '' Wolfen'' (1981), '' The Cotton C ...
(''Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin'')
*
Anna Holbrook
Anna Kathryn Holbrook (née York; born April 18, 1957) is an American television actress, known for her role as Sharlene Frame Hudson on the NBC daytime soap opera '' Another World'', for which she received Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supp ...
(''Regina's Big Mistake'')
*
Lena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of th ...
Stellaluna
''Stellaluna'' is a 1993 children's book by Janell Cannon. It is about a young fruit bat, Stellaluna, who becomes separated from her mother and finds her way to a nest of birds. She is adopted by them and learns bird-like behavior. Eventually, S ...
'')
*
Victoria Jackson
Victoria Jackson (born August 2, 1959) is an American actress, comedian, and singer who was a cast member of the NBC television sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (SNL) from 1986 to 1992.
Early life
Jackson was born in Miami, Florida ...
(''Tooth-Gnasher Superflash'')
*
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. He has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances in film, television, and theater, and "one of the greatest actors in America ...
(''Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain'')
* Raul Julia (''Mystery on the Docks'')
* Madeline Kahn (''Bea and Mr. Jones'')
* Carol Kane (''
Someplace Else
''Minerva'' is an episodic series of single-player modifications ("mods") for Valve's '' Half-Life 2''. The mod was created by Adam Foster. Installments are released as each is finalized: the three releases for the ''Metastasis'' chapter have al ...
Max
Max or MAX may refer to:
Animals
* Max (dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog
* Max (English Springer Spaniel), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of OBE)
* Max (gorilla) ...
Maya Lin
Maya Ying Lin (born October 5, 1959) is an American designer and sculptor. In 1981, while an undergraduate at Yale University, she achieved national recognition when she won a national design competition for the planned Vietnam Veterans Memoria ...
Keye Luke
Keye Luke (, Cantonese: Luk Shek Kee; June 18, 1904 – January 12, 1991) was a Chinese-born American film and television actor, technical advisor and artist and a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild.
He was known for playing Lee Chan, t ...
(''The Paper Crane'')
* Michele Mariana (''Stay Away from the Junkyard!'')
* Olga Merediz (''Borreguita and the Coyote'')
*
Andrea McArdle
Andrea McArdle is an American singer and actress best known for originating the role of Annie in the Broadway musical '' Annie''.
Career
McArdle was born in Philadelphia. While studying dance as a child, she was spotted by a talent agent who go ...
Bobby McFerrin
Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. (born March 11, 1950) is an American folk and jazz singer. He is known for his vocal techniques, such as singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in pitch—for example, sustaining a melody while also ra ...
*
Mark McGwire
Mark David McGwire (born October 1, 1963), nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball first baseman who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1986 to 2001 for the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Card ...
Helen Mirren
Dame Helen Mirren (born Helen Lydia Mironoff; born 26 July 1945) is an English actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, she is the only performer to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting in both the United States and the United Kingdo ...
(''How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World'')
*
Robert Morse
Robert Alan Morse (May 18, 1931 – April 20, 2022) was an American actor, who starred in '' How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'', both the 1961 original Broadway production, for which he won a Tony Award, and its 1967 film adapta ...
Jerry Orbach
Jerome Bernard Orbach (October 20, 1935 – December 28, 2004) was an American actor and singer, described at the time of his death as "one of the last'' bona fide'' leading men of the Broadway musical and global celebrity on television" and a ...
(''Germs Make Me Sick!'')
*
Corinne Orr
Corinne Orr (born January 6, 1936) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her work on the English version of the anime series ''Speed Racer''.
Biography
Orr became involved in children's theatre beginning at the age of 10 (with her first r ...
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Aliki Aliki may refer to:
* Aliki (name), a given name, usually Greek
** Aliki, the penname of Aliki Brandenberg, born 1928, children's book author
* Ariki
An ariki (New Zealand, Cook Islands), ꞌariki (Easter Island), aliki (Tokelau, Tuvalu), ali‘ ...
Lionel Richie
Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of funk band the Commodores; writing and recor ...
Lea Salonga
Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga (; born February 22, 1971), known professionally as Lea Salonga, is a Filipino singer, actress, and columnist. Nicknamed "Pride of the Philippines," she is best known for her roles in musical theatre, for supply ...
(''Silent Lotus'', ''My America: A Poetry Atlas of the United States'')
* Isabel Sanford (''The Patchwork Quilt'')
*
Susan Sarandon
Susan Abigail Sarandon (; née Tomalin; born October 4, 1946) is an American actorMcCabe, Bruce"Susan Sarandon, the 'actor'" ''Boston Globe''. April 17, 1981. Retrieved January 21, 2021. and activist. She is the recipient of various accolades, ...
(''The Shaman's Apprentice: A Tale of the Amazon Rainforest'')
* Josh Saviano (''Little Nino's Pizzeria'')
*
John Sebastian
John Benson Sebastian (born March 17, 1944) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and harmonicist who founded the rock band The Lovin' Spoonful. He made an impromptu appearance at the Woodstock festival in 1969Pete Seeger
Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notabl ...
(''Abiyoyo'')
*
Martin Short
Martin Hayter Short (born March 26, 1950) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, and writer. He has received various awards including two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award. In 2019 Short became an Officer of the Order of Canada.
H ...
Jerry Stiller
Gerald Isaac Stiller (June 8, 1927 – May 11, 2020) was an American actor and comedian. He spent many years as part of the comedy duo Stiller and Meara with his wife, Anne Meara, to whom he was married for over 60 years until her death in 201 ...
(''Digging Up Dinosaurs'')
* Regina Taylor (''Uncle Jed's Barber Shop'')
* Lynne Thigpen (''The Salamander Room'')
* Sada Thompson (''Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie'')
* Lauren Tom (''Liang and the Magic Paintbrush'')
*
Michelle Trachtenberg
Michelle Trachtenberg (; born October 11, 1985) is an American actress and model. Trachtenberg began her career at age three, appearing in a number of commercials, films, and television series as a child. Her starring role on the Nickelodeon tel ...
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Math Curse
''Math Curse'' is a children's picture book written by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith. Published in 1995 through Viking Press, the book tells the story of a student who is cursed by the manner in which mathematics is connected to ever ...
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Alex Trebek
George Alexander Trebek (; July 22, 1940 – November 8, 2020) was a Canadian-American game show host and television personality. He is best known for hosting the syndicated general knowledge quiz game show '' Jeopardy!'' for 37 seaso ...
Ralph Waite
Ralph Waite (June 22, 1928 – February 13, 2014) was an American actor, best known for his lead role as John Walton Sr. on ''The Waltons'' (1972–1981), which he occasionally directed. He also had recurring roles in ''NCIS'' as Jackson Gibbs ...
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Bree Walker
Bree Walker (born Patricia Lynn Nelson; February 26, 1953) is an American radio talk show host, actress, and disability-rights activist. She gained fame as the first on-air American television network news anchor with ectrodactyly. Walker work ...
In 1995, the creators launched the first contest called "''Reading Rainbow'' Young Writers and Illustrators Contest". The annual writing and illustrating competition for children grades K through 3 continued until 2009 when it was relaunched as "PBS Kids Go! Writers Contest". It was renamed to the ''PBS Kids Writers Contest'' in 2014.