Alliteration Alert: 'Reading Rainbow' Reboot Raises Record Resources

The Reading Rainbow Kickstarter, launched by LeVar Burton and his team on Wednesday managed to reach and pass its $1 million goal in less than a day. To thank the supporters of the Reading Rainbow initiative, Burton posted an emotional video of himself reacting to the news.

The Kickstarter lists three main goals for the Reading Rainbow reboot: Get Reading Rainbow on the Internet, develop a version that teachers can use in the classroom and be able to give RR to low-income schools for free.

The classroom app will not be free for schools outside of that demographic, which has caused some commenters to call into question Burton’s motivation. According to the Washington Post, when the original TV programme was pulled in 2009, John Grant, the content director at WNED Buffalo, which co-produced the series, said it would have cost “several hundred thousand dollars” to renew the show — i.e. far less than what the Kickstarter is asking for now. An app, typically, has even lower production values. The fact that Burton’s own company, which now owns the rights to the Reading Rainbow brand, is a for-profit, adds fuel to the online speculation.

Nevertheless, childhood literacy is still a hot topic in the US, as the rapid success of the RR Kickstarter shows. As of writing this, the campaign has raised over $2.5 million for the cause. There are still 33 days left until the Kickstarter closes.

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Nevertheless, childhood literacy is still a hot topic in the US, as the rapid success of the RR Kickstarter shows. As of writing this, the campaign has raised over $2.5 million for the cause. There are still 33 days left until the Kickstarter closes.