ReadingrainbowwwwwwwwwwA generation of children grew up learning to love reading by watching LeVar Burton's PBS show Reading Rainbow. The show was cancelled in 2009 after a 26-year run, but has been resurrected as a new iPad app.

Engadget attended the public launch of the app, and has video of Burton's emotional introduction of the app, as well as some hands-on reviews.

Burton told us that he was genuinely surprised with the public outcry that followed the show's cancellation. Kids have grown up with it for more than a quarter-century, and as such, there are some fairly strong emotional bonds at play here. According to Burton, maintaining the elements that made the show so magical was the most difficult aspect of the 18 months the team invested in the creation of the app. And, naturally, one reporter in attendance wanted to know what happened to the book report feature that played heavily in the TV show. Burton assured him that it's coming.

The app's interface is built around a series of floating islands, each based on a different genre. At present, the islands include "My Friends and Family," "Animal Kingdom," "Genius Academy" (science and math) and "Action Adventures & Magic Tales." More subject islands will be added as the app continues to be built out. Burton told us that the team was looking to move away from the more traditional e-book shelf format, into something that made reading "more of an adventure," much like the original program.


New books are available via a subscription service for $9.99/month, or $29.99 for a six-month subscription. Reading Rainbow's page on the App Store has additional details for exactly how the subscription system works.

Reading Rainbow is available free for the iPad on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

nostaws Avatar
169 months ago
Loved Reading Rainbow, but "service for $9.99/month, or $29.99 for a six-month subscription" seems a little steep.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
YellowKing Avatar
168 months ago
I bought the 6-month subscription for my daughter. She is almost 3 and we read stories before bedtime every night. The problem I had was that she would get bored with reading the same books night after night, and I would too! This meant we were buying new books almost every weekend to the tune of $10-$20. $30 for 6-months of new books was a no-brainer for me and very reasonable considering the cost of kid's books these days.

She absolutely loves the app. She particularly likes the interactive elements and animations in the books. Sometimes she prefers me to read the story, and sometimes prefers the narrator, so it's nice to have both options.

I do have some minor nitpicks with the app. The book selection is OK but there aren't a lot of "classic" kids books. We have found enough to keep us entertained, but hopefully they'll be able to introduce more award-winning books at some point. I also wish animations would not interrupt the narrator. My daughter likes to immediately touch the interactive elements, but this causes the narrator to start over. My only other wish is that there was a full screen option, as some of the book text is small even when zoomed in.

That said, the books that are implemented are all done beautifully. All of the narration has been great (compared to other storybook apps I've used on the iPad), and the animations and sound effects are fun and subtle enough not to detract from the stories.

One other feature my daughter really likes is the virtual sticker album. Every time you complete a new book, you get a sticker. This really encourages her to try new books.

I don't believe in using electronic media as a replacement for traditional paper books, as I think kids get way too much screen time as it is these days. However, this app is a nice supplement to our traditional reading and is also great for times when she just wants to sit down and watch a story on her own.

Part of the reason that I purchased the app is that I loved the show when I was younger and it encouraged a love of reading that continues to this day. I hope that by all of us supporting the app they'll be able to polish up some of the minor quibbles and produce a lot more content.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BigJayhawk Avatar
169 months ago
Agreed, especially since (a) the app is listed as free, and (b) the original Reading Rainbow was on PBS. If the subscription proceeds go toward supporting public television, that may be a different story. But the publisher's name is "RRKidz, Inc.", so I doubt it.

The show itself didn't "support Public Television" either. It was the fact that Public Television could no longer SUPPORT THE SHOW that resulted in shows like this ending.

All people select an occupation. I've never understood why it is that society seems to feel that people that use their talents to pick a NOBLE OCCUPATION in the first place somehow deserve to be marginalized by that choice. It's like, "if you want to serve our children, run a charitable organization, be a full-time religious speaker (i.e. pastor, priest, etc.), or referee sports for the 'Y' you must not make any kind of living doing it."

LeVar Burton (and RRKidz, Inc. for that matter) don't need to be doing this venture as a CHARITY. They exist to support their families and their shareholders. Ultimately, I feel that many people in America (and on this forum) feel that Reading Rainbow is a NOBLE VENTURE. If you do, support it with the cost of McDonald's for 3-4 people and you have SIX MONTHS worth of Additional Content. If you can't afford it then don't (but perhaps don't go to McDonald's all the time either). The FREE APP already seems to have some pretty good content to start with.

Anyway, pick your priorities and throw support where you feel it is NOBLE. To be honest, I'm considering subscribing just to show support with my dollars even though my kids are now 8 and 12 and never much experienced Reading Rainbow.

Just my two cents.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
moethebartender Avatar
169 months ago
Loved Reading Rainbow, but "service for $9.99/month, or $29.99 for a six-month subscription" seems a little steep.
Agreed, especially since (a) the app is listed as free, and (b) the original Reading Rainbow was on PBS. If the subscription proceeds go toward supporting public television, that may be a different story. But the publisher's name is "RRKidz, Inc.", so I doubt it.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FloatingBones Avatar
169 months ago
LeVar Burton's keynote from ORA TOC February 2012

LeVar Burton gave the keynote at the O'Reilly Tools of Change for Publishing conference this year about three men who had a huge influence on his career:



I had almost forgotten his first major role.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Navdakilla Avatar
169 months ago
LOVE THIS
I'll have to introduce this to my baby nephew !!!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Battery Capacity and Weight Allegedly Revealed

Monday May 19, 2025 2:22 am PDT by
Apple is expected to launch an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air later this year, and while there have been plenty of rumors about the camera's overall design and thinness, we haven't heard any details about the device's weight and battery capacity until now. According to the leaker going by the account name "yeux1122" on the Korean-langauge Naver blog, the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air has a weight ...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's CarPlay Ultra Is Here – Does Your iPhone Support It?

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:17 am PDT by
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature. According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's 'CarPlay Ultra' Experience Now Available

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:07 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its next-generation CarPlay experience, now dubbed "CarPlay Ultra" begins rolling out today, starting with Aston Martin vehicles. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. CarPlay Ultra is now available with new Aston Martin vehicle orders in the U.S. and Canada. It will also be available for existing models that feature the brand's next-generation ...
Apple Glass

Apple Smart Glasses: Everything We Know So Far

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:21 am PDT by
Google made waves yesterday by showcasing a set of lightweight smart glasses featuring deep Gemini integration and an optional in-lens display. The demo has reignited interest in Apple's own smart glasses project, which has been the subject of rumors for nearly a decade. Here's a recap of where things stand. Current Development Status Apple is actively working on new chips specifically...
WWDC 2025 Banner

Apple Announces WWDC 2025 Schedule, Including Keynote Time

Tuesday May 20, 2025 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced a more detailed schedule for its annual developers conference WWDC, which runs from June 9 through June 13. The schedule confirms that Apple's keynote will begin on Monday, June 9 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, with a live stream to be available on Apple.com, in the Apple TV app, and on YouTube. During the keynote, Apple is expected to announce iOS 19, iPadOS 19, macOS 16,...
macOS 16 visionOS Inspired Feature 1

macOS 16: Everything We Know So Far

Tuesday May 20, 2025 7:31 am PDT by
The Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple's annual developer and software-oriented event, is less than three weeks away. We haven't heard a great deal about macOS 16 ahead of its announcement this year, so we could be in for some major surprises when June 9 rolls around. Here's what we know so far about the next major update to Apple's Mac operating system. macOS 16 Name? Every year ...
Apple Intelligence General Feature

Report: Apple's Next-Gen Version of Siri Is 'On Par' With ChatGPT

Monday May 19, 2025 9:00 am PDT by
Apple has big plans to improve Siri over the next few years, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Drake Bennett report. Some Apple executives are now reportedly pushing to turn Siri into a true ChatGPT competitor. A next-generation, chatbot version of Siri has reportedly made significant progress during testing over the past six months; some executives allegedly now see it as "on par" with recent...