Reading Rainbow Returns After 20 Years With Penguin Random House Author Mychal Threets as Host
After a nearly 20-year absence, Reading Rainbow will return with a new series on the YouTube channel KidZuko, hosted by Mychal Threets, Penguin Random House author and Mychal the Librarian on TikTok. Returning this October, the show will continue the premise of the original PBS series, which was hosted by LeVar Burton from the 1980s to the early 2000s. Mychal Threets releases his debut book, I’M SO HAPPY YOU’RE HERE (Random House Books for Young Readers), on February 3 2026.
According to Reading Rainbow, after launching in 1983, it became the most watched PBS program in the classroom. The series was formulated because of the “summer loss phenomena,” where a child loses some of his or her reading abilities because they tend not to read during the summer. While the concept of Reading Rainbow began as a summer program, it quickly grew into a broadcast blockbuster, classroom staple and cultural icon.
Reading Rainbow will launch with a four-episode short-form run every Saturday from October 4 to October 25, 2025. The series is returning to motivate, help, and encourage kids to become avid readers with new episodes, new friends, new projects, and of course new books!
Mychal Threets announced the new on Instagram:
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Welcome to the library!
It’s a place just for you! There are activities, movies, games, and SO. MANY. STORIES. Best of all, it’s a place where you will always belong.
Take a tour of the library with the internet’s favorite librarian, Mychal Threets! This heartwarming debut picture book from Mychal extends an invitation to anyone who could use a little library joy and a reminder that libraries are for everyone.
About Mychal Threets
Mychal Threets is a librarian and literacy advocate named one of Time’s 100 most influential creators. Online, he shares videos of affirmations to assure people that their mental health always matters, and he encourages everyone to know they belong at the library. A former PBS kid himself, Mychal is proud to serve as PBS resident librarian. This is his first book. His cats, Machine Gun Kitty and Kissin’ Kat Barlow, did not help at all, but he still appreciates them.