Reading Rainbow

1Tight Times

30 minJun 6, 1983

A young girl's father loses his job.

2Miss Nelson Is Back

30 minJun 7, 1983

As part of his birthday celebration, LeVar gets made-up like a movie monster, and then gets involved in Harry Blackstone's magic act. Ruth Buzzi reads Miss Nelson Is Back, all about a group of rowdy students who try to take advantage of their teacher's absence when she's out sick one day, and how she gets revenge on them by pretending to be "the meanest teacher in the world, Viola Swamp."

3Bea and Mr. Jones

30 minJun 8, 1983

LeVar is already worn out after working on several scenes all day long on the production of the series. He feels he needs to take on another identity, segueing into introducing the featured book, Bea and Mr. Jones. Madeline Kahn reads the book about a kindergarten student and her father who get so bored with their jobs that they decide to experiment by switching places for the day.

4Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain

30 minJun 9, 1983

Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain

5Louis the Fish

30 minJun 10, 1983

Louis the Fish

6Digging Up Dinosaurs

30 minJun 13, 1983

Technically not the first science-related show in its history, LeVar seeks a place where archaeologists retrieve dinosaur bones. At the end of the program, LeVar buries a time capsule, containing (among other things) a can of old Coke and his picture. Linda Gilman reads Digging Up Dinosaurs, a story about how paleontologists unearth dinosaurs skeletons and preserve them in museum exhibits.

7Liang and the Magic Paintbrush

30 minJun 14, 1983

Liang and the Magic Paintbrush

8Gila Monsters Meet You at the Airport

30 minJun 15, 1983

In the featured book, a young boy and his family move from New York City to the Southwest and he has many misconceptions about what his new home is like.

9Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe

30 minJun 16, 1983

Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe

10The Gift of the Sacred Dog

30 minJun 17, 1983

The first of many programs favoring Native Americans. In this instance, a Midwestern legend suggests how horses arrived to the tribe. Later in this episode is the song "Ancient Places, Sacred Lands" which lists several words originating from various locations of the United States and the tribal meaning of their names.

11Gregory, the Terrible Eater

30 minJun 20, 1983

Today's subject is goats and what they eat.

12Three by the Sea

30 minJun 21, 1983

Three by the Sea

13Arthur's Eyes

30 minJun 22, 1983

LaVar explores seeing and our other senses, as Bill Cosby tells the story of how the young aardvark, Arthur Read acquired his pair of glasses.

14The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash

30 minJun 22, 1983

The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash

15Ty's One Man Band

30 minJun 23, 1983

LeVar is ready to find music everywhere, and he does. This show includes the animation Onomatopoeia. Lou Rawls reads the story of Ty's One-Man Band, about a man who teaches a boy how to make music using household items.