Reading Rainbow: Season 16

Playlist created by Deon Flood | 5 videosSee more playlists »

The Carousel, narrated by Sarah Hubbard, shows that a legacy is a special gift passed down from generation to generation. Other recommended books about legacies are The Long Silk Strand, The Always Prayer Shawl, and Up and Down on the Merry Go Round.

Chief Jake Swamp's retelling of a traditional Iroquois Indian prayer prompts a celebration of the gifts of the Earth and what humans can give back in return. LeVar visits a Massachusetts family who grow cranberries, Native American artists who turn clay into pottery, and New Yorkers participating in a tree-planting project, and children sing a song about taking care of the planet. Nicholson Earl Billey is guest reader.

LeVar discovers his creativity as he works on a pottery model of his childhood home, then talks with Michael Ives, who makes works of art out of old cardboard boxes. Anna Holbrook narrates the featured book, Regina's Big Mistake. Other suggested books: The Little Painter of Sabana Grande, The Art Lesson, and I Am an Artist.

After a reading of Debra Frasier's book about how babies are born by Patrick Stewart, LeVar spends time with a family expecting a new addition. He shows a film about how babies grow inside the womb, accompanies the children to a special class for kids who are expecting a new sister or brother, and goes into the delivery room with mother Kay when it's time for the birth. The program includes close-up scenes of Kay's stomach as she gets an ultrasound.