photo: Stitcher
If you grew up between 1983 and 2006, there’s a good chance you remember Reading Rainbow. Levar Burton’s beloved PBS Kids show, helped inspire countless kids with a love for reading. Now, grown-up Reading Rainbow kids can rejoice, as Burton is back with a new short fiction podcast on Stitcher. In each episode, he reads a short story with the aid of sound effects. It’s like Reading Rainbow for adults.
Not only does he read great fiction, like Daisy Johnson’s The Lighthouse Keeper from her new collection, Fen, in his soothing yet expressive voice, but after the reading he talks about the themes of the story and his thoughts about it. After reading The Lighthouse Keeper, he explains that the story “highlights one of the ills of our culture, which is the idea that women have a specific place and specific roles in society and that it is unacceptable for them to cross over.” He then adds that his life has been full of strong women who inspired him, like his mother. His thoughtful and friendly way of sharing will have you thinking of him as a friend, just as you did when you were younger.
Do you have memories of Reading Rainbow? Share them with us in the comments below!
