Best movies & TV Shows like Reading Rainbow

Take a look, it’s in a book, a Reading Rainbow!

A unique, carefully handpicked, selection of the best movies like Reading Rainbow Starring LeVar Burton, and more. If you liked Reading Rainbow then you may also like: The NeverEnding Story, Liberal Arts, Poetry in Motion, Schoolhouse Rocked: The Homeschool Revolution, 3-2-1 Contact and many more popular movies featured on this list. You can further filter the list even more or get a random selection from the list of similar movies, to make your selection even easier.

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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 stories.

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The NeverEnding Story

While hiding from bullies in his school's attic, a young boy discovers the extraordinary land of Fantasia, through a magical book called The Neverending Story. The book tells the tale of Atreyu, a young warrior who, with the help of a luck dragon named Falkor, must save Fantasia from the destruction of The Nothing.

Liberal Arts

Newly single, 35, and uninspired by his job, Jesse Fisher worries that his best days are behind him. But no matter how much he buries his head in a book, life keeps pulling Jesse back. When his favorite college professor invites him to campus to speak at his retirement dinner, Jesse jumps at the chance. He is prepared for the nostalgia of the dining halls and dorm rooms, the parties and poetry seminars; what he doesn’t see coming is Zibby – a beautiful, precocious, classical-music-loving sophomore. Zibby awakens scary, exciting, long-dormant feelings of possibility and connection that Jesse thought he had buried forever.

Poetry in Motion

More than 20 contemporary North American poets recite, sing, and perform their work. Early in the film, Charles Bukowski talks about the energy of poets and of a poem. These poets are the children of Walt Whitman and of Charles Olson, incantatory and oratorical, radical, sometimes incorporating contemporary political imagery. Black Mountain poets, the Beats, minimalists like John Cage, the wordless Four Horsemen, Tom Waits, and others capture aspects of poets as troubadours.

Schoolhouse Rocked: The Homeschool Revolution

A once reluctant homeschool family sells their home and everything in it, packs up in an RV and travels the country to tell the story of the millions of American families who are a part of the Homeschool Revolution. After talking with education experts, homeschooling pioneers, and regular families at every step in their home education journey, they learn come away convinced that it's time for America to bring their children home. The movie follows host, Yvette Hampton, as she travels the country with her family talking with education experts, curriculum developers, college and university faculty and administrators, and homeschooling families at every stage in the process, from kindergarten to college graduation and beyond. As viewers follow Yvette on this journey and share in her challenges and victories as a homeschool mom, they will gather the necessary resources and encouragement to homeschool their own children with excellence.

3-2-1 Contact

3-2-1 Contact is an American science educational television show that aired on PBS from 1980 to 1988, and an adjoining children's magazine. The show, a production of the Children's Television Workshop, teaches scientific principles and their applications. Dr. Edward G. Atkins, who was responsible for much of the scientific content of the show, felt that the TV program wouldn't replace a classroom but would open the viewers to ask questions about the scientific purpose of things.

Between the Lions

Between the Lions is a PBS Kids puppet television series designed to promote reading. The show is a co-production between WGBH in Boston and Sirius Thinking, Ltd., in New York City, in association with Mississippi Public Broadcasting, in Mississippi. The show has won seven Daytime Emmy awards between 2001 and 2007. The target audience is children 4 to 7 years old. It has the same puppet style as Sesame Street and several season 2 episodes, notably in Dance in Smarty Pants, had a few characters from Sesame Street guest appearing. Between The Lions started its 10th and final season on September 20, 2010. The Show Ended in November, 22 2010 Along with Reading Rainbow

Bill Nye the Science Guy

Bill Nye the Science Guy is an educational television program that originally aired from September 10, 1993 to June 20, 1998, hosted by William "Bill" Nye and produced by Buena Vista Television. The show aired on PBS Kids and was also syndicated to local stations. Each of the 100 episodes aims to teach a specific topic in science to a preteen audience. The show is frequently used in schools as an education medium, and it still airs on some PBS stations for this reason. Created by comedian Ross Shafer and based on sketches on KING-TV's sketch program Almost Live!, Bill Nye the Science Guy was produced by Disney Educational Productions and KCTS-TV of Seattle. Bill Nye the Science Guy won nineteen Emmy Awards during its run.

Caillou

Caillou is an educational Canadian children's television series, based on the books by author Christine L'Heureux and illustrator Hélène Desputeaux. During the first season, many of the stories in the animated version began with a grandmother introducing the story to her grandchildren, then reading the story about the book. Since 1997, the narrator/grandmother is an unseen character. Caillou first aired on Canada's Teletoon channel in 1998; it later made its United States debut in English on Public Broadcasting Service Public television on September 4, 2000 A 5th Season came out in 2013 = and it airs on PBS Kids. Caillou also airs on PBS Sprout.

Captain Kangaroo

Captain Kangaroo was an American children's television series which aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for nearly 30 years, from October 3, 1955 until December 8, 1984, making it the longest-running nationally broadcast children's television program of its day. In 1986, the American Program Service integrated some newly produced segments into reruns of past episodes, distributing the newer version of the series until 1993. The show was conceived and the title character played by Bob Keeshan, who based the show on "the warm relationship between grandparents and children." Keeshan had portrayed the original Clarabell the Clown on The Howdy Doody Show when it aired on NBC. Captain Kangaroo had a loose structure, built around life in the "Treasure House" where the Captain would tell stories, meet guests, and indulge in silly stunts with regular characters, both humans and puppets. The show was telecast live to the East Coast and the Midwest for its first four years and broadcast on kinescope for the West Coast, as Keeshan would not perform the show live three times a day, and was in black-and-white until 1966. The May 17, 1971 episode saw two major changes on the show: The Treasure House was renovated and renamed "The Captain's Place" and the Captain replaced his navy blue coat with a red coat. In September 1981, CBS shortened the hour-long show to a half-hour, briefly retitled it Wake Up with the Captain, and moved it to an earlier time slot; it was later moved to weekends in September 1982, and returned to an hour-long format. It was canceled by CBS at the end of 1984.

Electra Woman and Dyna Girl

Electra Woman and Dyna Girl is a Sid and Marty Krofft live action science fiction children's television series from 1976. The series aired 16 episodes in a single season as part of the umbrella series The Krofft Supershow. During the second season, it was dropped, along with Dr. Shrinker. When later syndicated in the package "Krofft Super Stars" and released on home video, the 16 segments, which were each about 12 minutes long, were combined into eight episodes.

Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids

Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids is an animated series created, produced, and hosted by comedian Bill Cosby, who also lent his voice to a number of characters, including Fat Albert himself. Filmation was the production company for the series. The show premiered in 1972 and ran until 1985. The show, based on Cosby's remembrances of his childhood gang, centered on Albert, and his friends. The show always had an educational lesson emphasized by Cosby's live-action segments, and in early episodes the gang would usually gather in their North Philadelphia junkyard to play a rock song on their cobbled-together instruments at the end of the show.

Goosebumps

Anything can turn spooky in this horror anthology series based on the best-selling books by master of kid horror, R.L. Stine. In every episode, see what happens when regular kids find themselves in scary situations, and how they work to confront and overcome their fears.

Horrible Histories

Based on the best-selling children's books and liberally splattered with guts, blood and poo, a group of British comedians offer an anarchic and unconventional take on some of history's most gruesome and funny moments, with topics including the Stone Age, the Middle Ages, the Egyptians and the Romans, among others.

Little Bill

Little Bill is a television show for children that is presently on Nick Jr. The stories are based on Bill Cosby's Little Bill book series, set in Philadelphia and feature Bill Jr. learning a lesson or moral. It was developed through research and in consultation with a panel of educational consultants. The show also aired on CBS as part of Nick Jr. on CBS, from September 16, 2000 - September 7, 2002, then as part of Nick on CBS from August 2, 2003 - September 10, 2005. The show returned with the return of Nick Jr. on CBS on September 17, 2005, and seen through September 9, 2006 when the block was replaced with The KOL Secret Slumber Party on CBS. The series went back into production in fall 2006 and a new season of 6 episodes aired on Noggin throughout April and July 2007, ending in the later month. Reruns are played on Nick Jr., on BET, as of January 7, 2008, and on Centric, as of May 1, 2010. Sonia Manzano, best known for playing Maria Rodriguez on Sesame Street, was a frequent writer for the show.

A Little Curious

A Little Curious is a children's television show which has aired on HBO Family since 1998, lasting for just two seasons, and. The 23-minute episodes are essentially anthologies of shorts centered on a common, easily digested theme such as "Up and Down" or "Slippery." While each short draws from the same pool of characters, one unique element of the show is that each short may be produced using one of a number of animation techniques, such as stop-motion, Flash animation, traditional 2-D cel animation, and 3-D CGI, along with live-action segments narrated by Bob the Ball. Some of the shorts are designed to fit more than one theme and are re-used in a number of different episodes.

Sesame Street

On a special inner city street, the inhabitants—human and muppet—teach preschoolers basic educational and social concepts using comedy, cartoons, games, and songs.

Super Why!

Super Why! or The Reading Adventures of Super Why! is a CGI animated show developed by Angela C. Santomero and Samantha Freeman Alpert. The TV series is produced by New York City-based Out of the Blue Enterprises and Toronto-based DHX Media through its Decode Entertainment division. The show debuted on PBS stations on September 3, 2007. The series airs on PBS Kids and PBS Kids Sprout in the USA, Kids' CBC in Canada. Thai PBS from Thailand broadcasts the shortened version, the episodes are 5 years behind the U.S.

Wishbone

Wishbone is a children's television show. The show's title character is a Jack Russell Terrier of the same name. Wishbone lives with his owner Joe Talbot in the fictional modern town of Oakdale, Texas. He daydreams about being the lead character of stories from classic literature He was known as "the little dog with a big imagination". Only the viewers and the characters in his daydreams can hear Wishbone speak. The characters from his daydreams see Wishbone as whatever famous character he is currently portraying and not as a dog.

Hawaii Five-O

Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for 12 seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. Jack Lord portrayed Detective Lieutenant Steve McGarrett, the head of a special state police task force which was based on an actual unit that existed under martial law in the 1940s. The theme music composed by Morton Stevens became especially popular. Many episodes would end with McGarrett instructing his subordinate to "Book 'em, Danno!", sometimes specifying a charge such as "murder one".

Fun Song Factory

Fun Song Factory is a British preschool children's show centered around a factory where music is created. In it, live presenters alongside children come inside and sing a number of nursery rhymes, which depend on per episode. It was one of the first songs-based shows to be filmed in front of a live audience of children.

Galaxy High School

Galaxy High is an American science fiction animated series that premiered on September 13, 1986 on CBS and ran for 13 episodes until December 6, 1986. The series was created by movie director Chris Columbus and featured music and a theme song composed by Eagles member Don Felder. Despite its short run, the show has since become a cult favorite.

Rainbow

Children's puppet programme featuring music and stories. Join George, Bungle, Zippy, and all their friends at the Rainbow House, always an exciting place to be.

The Puzzle Place

The Puzzle Place is an American children's television series produced by KCET in Los Angeles, California and Lancit Media in New York City, New York. It premiered on the Public Broadcasting Service on January 16, 1995, and ran for about four years, airing its final episode on December 4, 1998. Reruns were continued until March 31, 2000. The show followed a multi-ethnic group of kids from different parts of the United States who hung out at "the Puzzle Place", which is a teen hangout themed around jigsaw puzzle pieces. In each episode the characters were confronted with an everyday conflict usually encountered in childhood and even early teenagerdom, such as making moral decisions, sharing, racism, sexism, etc.

Amazing Eats

Amazing Eats is an American food reality television series that premiered on January 11, 2012 on the Travel Channel. The program is hosted by actor and food enthusiast Adam Richman. In each episode, Richman tracks down all the best mouth-watering cuisines in the United States. New episodes currently airs every Wednesday at 9pm EST in place of Richman's popular series Man v. Food during its mid-season break. The episodes consist primarily of footage from Man v. Food and Man v. Food Nation re-edited by theme instead of city, and with the eating challenge segments omitted.

How to Build

Britain's iconic and 'secretive' engineering companies reveal how they build the world's most amazing machines. The first part of the series "How to build a nuclear submarine" a documentary following the construction of the Astute nuclear submarine. The second part of the series "How to build a jumbo jet engine", the story of the thousands of people who design, build and test engines at Rolls-Royce’s manufacturing plants in Derby and across the UK, making Rolls-Royce a central part of life for the people of places like Derby. The third and final part of the series "How to build Britain's secret engineers" when the documentary team follows workers at a leading British company on a global journey, as they reveal a handful of their secretive projects including getting Chinook helicopters ready for front line service.

Hi-5

Music and sketches are used to teach children lessons on subjects like nature and technology. Based on an Australian series.

Extreme RVs

Follows designers, welders and mechanics as they ideate, build, and customize one-of-a-kind recreational vehicles. Each one-hour episodes highlights three different rolling million-dollar, mega-mansions with incredible themed designs and luxurious interiors that put most real homes to shame.

Truckers

Funny, moving and at times painful - Truckers tells stories of real life, ordinary people pushed to extremes. In each episode, one character undertakes a journey and we are along for the ride. In an age when technology would make us seem ever more connected, the series uses the truck driver, alone in his cab, as a way to explore how isolated we can become within modern society and the importance of real human connection. These are powerful, moving stories, but the tone is always joyous and each story is one of redemption.

Titanic: Stories from the Deep

A ground-breaking documentary series uncovering new history from 12,000 feet deep below the Atlantic Ocean. With the use of cutting-edge technology, the unique collection of artifacts salvaged from the underwater resting site of the wreck tells us brand new stories of love, deception, fate and heroics. Presented by Victor Garber, who featured as Thomas Andrews in James Cameron’s Titanic, each episode follows the individual journeys of these artifacts from their recovery, to their connection to specific passengers on the ship and their connection to someone living today.

Stereoscope

The series centers around a mysterious toy that can transport its user to another world seemingly just like their own. But when the only scientist who understands it is violently killed, his wife and daughter must finally form a connection and build upon his findings or else the supernatural force unleashed by the device will destroy the rest of their family.

Between the Covers

Sara Cox hosts this new book club bringing the nation together through sharing the pleasure of reading. Each edition features a celebrity panel discussing their favourite book and two review sections.

The New Fly Fisher

The New Fly Fisher is an entertaining, educational and informative Television & Online Video Series that serves anglers of all ability levels. The series showcases exciting fishing Destinations…the places where Trout, Bass, Pike, Salmon and other species thrive. Each unique episode taps into the stories and knowledge of guides and outfitters in Canada, the USA and around the world. You’ll learn about the amazing habits of different fish species and you’ll share in our tricks and tips for overcoming the frequent challenges you’ll face on the water

CoComelon Lane

Join your favorite "CoComelon" characters on imaginative adventures as they explore feelings — and the world around them — in this story-driven series.

Butternut Square

Butternut Square was a Canadian children's television series which aired on CBC Television between October 19, 1964 and February 10, 1967. The cast featured Ernie Coombs as Mr. Dressup and Fred Rogers as Mister Rogers, both of whom would follow with their own landmark television series. "Butternut Square" was a show designed for young viewers and featured a variety of segments aimed at entertaining and educating children. The program included storytelling, music, puppetry, and educational segments, often focusing on imaginative play and interactive elements to engage its audience. The show aimed to stimulate creativity, encourage learning, and entertain children through a mix of fun activities and storytelling. Although specific details about individual episodes might vary, the overall emphasis was on fostering a sense of wonder, creativity, and learning in its young viewers.

Movie Magic

Documentary series dealing with every aspect of special effects in movies, from low-budget make-up to multi-million-dollar computer-generated graphics. The clear presentation includes descriptions of the creation and technical problems of the effects, and interviews with effects technicians, directors, stars and other crew. Each episode deals with one topic, effect or technician (eg theme park rides, CGI, Stan Winston), concentrating on one or more current or recent films.

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