Authors of ‘Reading Rainbow’ book discuss show, legacy at Canisius University event

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Once employees at WNED-TV who helped launch the legendary PBS series “Reading Rainbow,” Dr. Barbara Irwin, Tony Buttino, Sr. and Dr. Pam Johnson sat down for a panel at Canisius University on Wednesday to discuss the show that brought them together and their newly released book, “Creating Reading Rainbow: The Untold Story of a Beloved Children’s Series.”

Irwin, a professor emerita at Canisius, became part of the show through her work in the Educational Services Department, which, at the time, was headed up by Buttino, who co-created the show and became known as “the father of instructional television.” Johnson, from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, worked with Buttino as he was developing the show in its early days.

The discussion began with the iconic and instantly recognizable “Reading Rainbow” theme song and continued with several clips from the show, played throughout. These clips included a shot of host LeVar Burton in front of an erupting volcano in Hawaii, and scene featuring narration of a children’s book by James Earl Jones, who according to Irwin, didn’t feel ready to record the day he was scheduled to come in, and took an extra day to prepare because it was important to him.

Host with the most

The trio of authors discussed how LeVar Burton became the host, as they searched for their own Mister Rogers. At first, Buttino wanted Fred Rogers himself to host the show, and after setting up a meeting — through Rogers’ mailman Mr. McFeely (David Newell), no less — pitched “Mister Rogers’ Summer Vacation,” which did not come to fruition. Rogers instead provided guidance for the show.

Not long after Burton’s time as Kunta Kinte on “Roots,” he guested on a New York magazine talk show. After watching the interview, the “Reading Rainbow” team knew he was the perfect fit, and despite initially thinking he was out of reach, got in contact with him and brought him in — literally picking him up from the airport after a whitewater rafting trip to Africa — and taking him to the set of the pilot.

Johnson said having a person of color as host was very important to producers and the show’s reach to all children, with Burton being someone who could take kids on a televised journey through books. She also noted that the show made a conscious effort to focus on about the love of reading, rather than the skill of reading.

Buttino said Burton was a great motivator and was instrumental in getting kids to read. Not only did the show have to appeal to the kids watching, but the parents who would see its effect on their children’s reading habits.

Book selection

Irwin said the team sifted through hundreds of books for quality children’s literature — many of which were award-winning.

Educators loved the format of the show and began to use it to teach. Johnson said “Reading Rainbow” provided very rich opportunities to bring knowledge to kids, which teachers treasured. She and Buttino both described the show’s ability to bring people places they didn’t have access to, like a field trip.

Irwin said the producers would work with book publishers ahead of episodes and after a while, publishers would reach out to them, later putting “Reading Rainbow” stickers on books that were featured on the show or printing the logo directly on the covers.

Longevity

In media, particularly children’s media, 26 years on-air is no small feat. Johnson spoke to what kept “Reading Rainbow” on TV for 155 episodes.

“Sustaining production of high-quality media is a challenge,” Johnson said. “It took ingenuity.”

Johnson continued, noting how the show would find inventive ways to fund the show, such as dedicating a season to science learning to receive funding from national science organizations.

Legacy

Irwin said, to her, the legacy of the show was engendering a love of books and reading for millions of children. Buttino shared a similar sentiment, reading a clipping of a column from “The Buffalo News” about the success of the first season of “Reading Rainbow” and its 6.5 million viewers. Johnson said that the way the show moved people and what it continues to mean to them.

In addition to being the birthplace of “Reading Rainbow,” Buffalo played a part in the show and its legacy as well. Parts of the show were shot in the area, including children’s book reviews, which were filmed in the old WNED studio on Barton Street and executive produced by Buttino and the Lancit team. Johnson said kids would come in and do interviews in the studio, which were then cut together in post.

Irwin said a show like “Reading Rainbow” would have to adapt to today’s media landscape, which has changed drastically from to that of 40 years ago, though she said many people would like to see it come back.

Despite these challenges, Johnson said PBS is always exploring ways to create educational material for children and have curated a collection of classic clips on the Reading Rainbow and PBS LearningMedia websites.

To purchase “Creating Reading Rainbow,” click here.

Correction: A previous version of this story was unclear about the authors’ involvement with the show. Additional context has been added.

Adam Duke is a digital contributor who joined WIVB in 2021. See more of his work here.

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