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The Best Episodes of Reading Rainbow

Every episode of Reading Rainbow ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Reading Rainbow!

Binge this in 3d 4h•Peaking at 9.1/10

Journey to exciting places and build a lasting connection with your favorite books. Each episode centers on a theme from a book, or other children's literature, which is explored through a number of segments or

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Reading Rainbow Season 6 Episode 1 - The Bionic Bunny Show
    9.1/10(23 votes)

    #1 - The Bionic Bunny Show

    S6:E1

    In both the featured story and on the set of the show "Star Trek: the Next Generation" (which LeVar also stars on) we learn how TV shows are made and how actors in costumes and special effects can make imaginary things seem real.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Reading Rainbow Season 1 Episode 4 - Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain
    9.0/10(15 votes)

    #2 - Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain

    S1:E4

    Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. Reading Rainbow Season 5 Episode 7 - Rumplestiltskin
    8.8/10(8 votes)

    #3 - Rumplestiltskin

    S5:E7

    This looks like an extension of the previous episode, but it is a separate venture. LeVar appears in proper attire for an English Renaissance festival. Ralph Waite reads the fairy tale of Rumpelstiltskin, about a poor miller's daughter who is stuck between a greedy king and a conniving elf to get out of a difficult situation.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Reading Rainbow Season 11 Episode 7 - If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
    8.6/10(14 votes)

    #4 - If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

    S11:E7

    One thing leads to another in this episode, with LeVar in a bowling alley, showing how certain actions lead to consequences. Included is a piece on an expert at domino displays and domino art. Beth Howland reads "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie," the tale of a little boy who offers a cookie to a mouse, and all the events that occur afterwards as a result.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Reading Rainbow Season 1 Episode 1 - Tight Times
    8.3/10(15 votes)

    #5 - Tight Times

    S1:E1

    A young girl's father loses his job.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Reading Rainbow Season 1 Episode 2 - Miss Nelson Is Back
    8.0/10(12 votes)

    #6 - Miss Nelson Is Back

    S1:E2

    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."

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Reading Rainbow

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  7. Reading Rainbow Season 4 Episode 3 - Feelings
    7.8/10(8 votes)

    #7 - Feelings

    S4:E3

    Pictures, dialogues, poems, and stories portray a variety of emotions we all feel - jealousy, sadness, fear, anger, joy, love, etc. Also includes Let's Make Music, Feeling Sad, Meet Koko and Penny and book reviews for Honey, I Love and Other Love Poems, Fireflies! and Loudmouth George and the Sixth-Grade Bully.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Reading Rainbow Season 1 Episode 3 - Bea and Mr. Jones
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #8 - Bea and Mr. Jones

    S1:E3

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Reading Rainbow Season 1 Episode 5 - Louis the Fish
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #9 - Louis the Fish

    S1:E5

    Louis the Fish

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Reading Rainbow Season 1 Episode 6 - Digging Up Dinosaurs
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #10 - Digging Up Dinosaurs

    S1:E6

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Reading Rainbow Season 1 Episode 7 - Liang and the Magic Paintbrush
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #11 - Liang and the Magic Paintbrush

    S1:E7

    Liang and the Magic Paintbrush

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Reading Rainbow Season 1 Episode 8 - Gila Monsters Meet You at the Airport
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #12 - Gila Monsters Meet You at the Airport

    S1:E8

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Reading Rainbow Season 1 Episode 9 - Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #13 - Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe

    S1:E9

    Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Reading Rainbow Season 1 Episode 10 - The Gift of the Sacred Dog
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #14 - The Gift of the Sacred Dog

    S1:E10

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Reading Rainbow Season 1 Episode 11 - Gregory, the Terrible Eater
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #15 - Gregory, the Terrible Eater

    S1:E11

    Today's subject is goats and what they eat.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Reading Rainbow Season 1 Episode 12 - Three by the Sea
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #16 - Three by the Sea

    S1:E12

    Three by the Sea

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. Reading Rainbow Season 1 Episode 13 - Arthur's Eyes
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #17 - Arthur's Eyes

    S1:E13

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Reading Rainbow Season 1 Episode 14 - The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #18 - The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash

    S1:E14

    The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Reading Rainbow Season 1 Episode 15 - Ty's One Man Band
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #19 - Ty's One Man Band

    S1:E15

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Reading Rainbow Season 2 Episode 1 - Hot-Air Henry
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #20 - Hot-Air Henry

    S2:E1

    LeVar goes to South Carolina to ride a hot-air balloon. In another study of how air travel has advanced, schoolchildren visit the Space Camp for Aspiring Young Astronauts. William Windom reads the story of Hot-Air Henry, the misadventures of a cat who sneaks on board his family's hot air balloon and how he gets back down again.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Reading Rainbow Season 2 Episode 2 - Simon's Book
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #21 - Simon's Book

    S2:E2

    Simon's Book

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Reading Rainbow Season 2 Episode 3 - Ox-Cart Man
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #22 - Ox-Cart Man

    S2:E3

    Ox-Cart Man

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. Reading Rainbow Season 2 Episode 4 - Mystery on the Docks
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #23 - Mystery on the Docks

    S2:E4

    Mystery on the Docks

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Reading Rainbow Season 2 Episode 5 - A Chair for My Mother
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #24 - A Chair for My Mother

    S2:E5

    A Chair for My Mother

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Reading Rainbow Season 3 Episode 1 - Paul Bunyan
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #25 - Paul Bunyan

    S3:E1

    Lavar visits a lumberjack camp in the forest. Today's featured book is based on the legend of Paul Bunyan, the giant woodsman.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Best Episodes Summary

"The Bionic Bunny Show" is the best rated episode of "Reading Rainbow". It scored 9.1/10 based on 23 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 8/15/1988. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain".