If you were a kid growing up in the ‘8os and ’90s, then you understand the sheer excitement you felt when you heard the sing-song phrase “Take a look, it’s in a book,” blaring from the television.
Yep. Took you way back, didn’t we?
Well, you can imagine our excitement when we learned Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton and his team launched a Kickstarter campaign Wednesday in the hopes of raising $1 million to accomplish three goals for the defunct show — Get Reading Rainbow on the Internet for the digital babies, develop a version that teachers can use in the classroom, and be able to give children in low-income schools access to the beloved show-turned app for free.
It’s. About. To. Go. Down. Reading that is. On Thursday morning, Burton announced that the team had reached their $1 million goal on Kickstarter…and the money just keeps coming. As of Thursday afternoon, the campaign boasted over $2 million.
Here’s Burton’s RR mission from the Kickstarter page:
I believe that every child has a right, and a need, to be literate. We have a responsibility to prepare our children… and right now, the numbers show that we, as a society, are failing in that responsibility. And here’s the problem: Right now, 1 out of every 4 children in America will grow up illiterate.
And, as many point out, teaching kids to read is one thing. Keeping them interested, like the groundbreaking show did during its run from 1983 to 2006, is the real task parents and teachers face today, especially battling a system of standardized testing.
But if the digital reboot is anything like the trippy show that transported us to any place we could imagine, success is Burton’s. Because seriously, everything about that opening song made anything possible.
Like this butterfly opening into a book:
And this park becoming the beach:
And the boy in that park becoming the captain of a vessel when that park turned into an ocean:
And this dragon appearing out of nowhere on another beach:
And that little boy on the beach with the dragon transforming into a king:
And then there’s the stoop kid transcending to outer space:
And then working for NASA in a colorful universe:
And lastly, the magical Reading Rainbow that let you know the most epic show of our time was about to start:
Dude. Either I’m onto something or LeVar Burton knew reading was like, definitely being on LSD in a time machine.
And it’s awesome. Save for the drugs. Of course. But if that’s not enough to convince you that the Reading Rainbow comeback is the second coming of Christ, maybe this badass book review will:
Or yes, that entire opening scene. Some of the illest lyrics ever written.
Childhood. The best, amirite?
PHOTO CREDIT: Giphy, PBS
