“Reading Rainbow” has a new host—and he’s an I Love My Librarian Award winner!
Librarian Mychal Threets is set to take the helm of the beloved children’s TV program that promotes childhood reading. The show announced its return with a books-filled, colorful video on Instagram, offering a glimpse into what’s to come in the new edition.
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The original “Reading Rainbow” was a staple of PBS for decades, running from 1983 until 2006, with LeVar Burton as the host. Affectionately known as Mychal the Librarian on TikTok, Threets—who currently serves as resident librarian for PBS Kids—will usher in a new era of the show, one that is set to include an impressive lineup of guest stars to encourage kids to discover the joys of reading.
Celebrity guests slated to appear include “Dancing With The Stars” dancers Rylee Arnold and Ezra Sosa, 14-year-old author Bellen Woodard, and “actor & cat dad” Ebon Moss-Bachrach (“The Bear”). Luminaries like Jamie Chung, Gabrielle Union, Adam DeVine, Chrissy Teigen, and John Legend are also set to narrate a range of books.
The new iteration of “Reading Rainbow” will debut Saturday, October 4, on KidZuko, the kids-focused YouTube channel operated by Sony Pictures Television.
Threets is a 2024 recipient of the American Library Association’s I Love My Librarian Award (ILMLA). He was nominated by his peers and colleagues for his work spreading library joy across social media with his library card tattoo and a seemingly endless wardrobe of eye-catching shirts.
“He has touched many people in a positive way and has created a place for all to know they are cared about and loved,” one of his ILMLA nominators wrote.
Threets was also named to the Time100 Creators: Most Influential Digital Voices list for 2025, Time’s inaugural celebration of the digital creators who have emerged to shape our culture.
Congrats, Mychal!
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