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Tag: Mychal Threets

  • Reading Rainbow Rebooted: Mychal Threets Leads a New Era

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    The PBS program Reading Rainbow, is back after nearly 20 years to teach a new generation of readers

    Credit: Prazis Images via Adobe Stock

    Reading Rainbow, a program that launched in 1983 to encourage children to read, will be getting a reboot after nearly 20 years, with new host Mychal Threets. The show originally launched as a summer program designed to combat the “summer loss phenomena” where children lose some of their reading skills every summer due to lack of reading.

    Reading Rainbow soon became a regular program, eventually growing to be a household name and a classroom staple that encouraged children to discuss literature and visit the library. The show became the third-longest-running children’s TV series in US history, reaching more than 2 million people per week, as well as the most-watched PBS program in the classroom, featuring a library of over 150 programs.

    In the show’s 26-year run with host LeVar Burton, Reading Rainbow won more than 250 awards, including the George Foster Peabody Award, Telly Awards, Parents’ and Teachers’ Choice Awards, and 26 Emmys, including 10 for Outstanding Series.

    In 2022, the documentary “Butterfly In The Sky” highlighted the impact and legacy of Reading Rainbow. Reading Rainbow was canceled in 2006 due to a combination of funding issues and failure to adapt to new technology. 

    Announced September 29, Reading Rainbow will be returning to PBS with new host Mychal Threets, aka Mychal the Librarian, an internet sensation. Threets is a Bay Area native who grew up watching Reading Rainbow. As a child, he attended the Fairfield Civic Center Library, and after receiving a master’s degree in Library and Information Science he became the Children’s Librarian at his childhood library.

    Threets explained, “I was raised on Reading Rainbow, LeVar Burton is my hero. I am a reader, I am a librarian because LeVar Burton and Reading Rainbow so powerfully made us believe we belong in books, we belong everywhere”. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Threets started making videos for TikTok and Instagram about why the library is a vital resource and place for joy. He amassed over 2 million followers across all platforms, with his cheery personality and joy towards reading and the library.

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    His videos are for both children and adults as he also provides helpful information on library resources such as tax assistance, legal help and equipment rentals. He was honored with the “I Love My Librarian Award” by the American Library Association in 2023 for his outstanding public service. In 2024, Threets was named Resident Librarian at PBS, eventually stepping down from his role at the Fairfield Civic Center Library.

    Threets has started an online book club, a podcast titled “Thoughts about Feelings” and has a children’s book titled “I’m So Happy You’re Here: A Celebration of Library Joy” set to debut in 2026. Threets is a loud advocate for libraries and access to learning, as he takes after LeVar Burton and has spoken with Congress to keep access to PBS alive. 

    The reboot, which will start airing on October 4 and run through October 25 with new episodes every Saturday, will incorporate new formats such as hands-on crafting instructions and other interactive activities to better reach the audience.

    New episodes of Reading Rainbow will be available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS app, as well as Kidzuko, Sony Pictures Television’s children’s YouTube channel. Both new and old episodes of Reading Rainbow will be available on PBS Retro FAST channel which is available on Amazon Prime Video, Roku, TCL and Vizio.

    Along with the added interactive elements, the show will feature new celebrities, including Rylee Arnold and Ezra Sosa, from Dancing With The Stars, Bellen Woodard, the 14-year-old author of “More Than Peach”, and actor Ebon-Moss Bachrach.

    New books will also be narrated by Jamie Chung, Gabrielle Union, Adam Devine, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen. It is safe to say, Reading Rainbow is in good hands with Mychal Threets, and will help a new generation of children learn to love reading.

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    Taylor Ford

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  • Viral Northern California librarian announces resignation to prioritize mental health

    Viral Northern California librarian announces resignation to prioritize mental health

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    (FOX40.COM) — A Northern California librarian who amassed a large social media following by sharing videos that were filled with positivity and uplifting messages recently announced that he’ll be leaving his position in March to prioritize his mental health.

    Librarian Mychal Threets is resigning from his position at the Solano County Public Library to prioritize his mental health, according to a video posted to his Instagram page on Friday.

    “Dear Solano County Library, I just want to say thank you,” Threets said in his video. “Thank you for raising me as a homeschooled library kid, [the Solano County Library] is a place where I’ve always felt safe, where I’ve always felt where I belong.”

    Threets, who has over 1.4 million followers between his Instagram and TikTok accounts, has said in a previous video that he experiences mental health struggles, specifically saying that he struggles with, “anxiety, PTSD, depression, panic disorder and nightmare disorder.”

    In that video, Threets maintains a smile on his face as he tells people that he is on the “struggle bus” with them and that anyone watching the video is not alone in their struggles. He finishes the video by extending an invitation to the local library so that people with similar struggles can “speak with some of the kindest, most empathetic, genuine people you will ever meet.”

    Threets says that his time as a librarian may be over for now, but he didn’t rule out a return to the Solano County Library in the future. He said that while he takes time to focus on his mental health, he will also be fighting for literacy by going before Congress and advocating for library funding throughout the country.

    “Funding libraries is funding the community. [It] funds togetherness, unity and makes us better people,” Threets concludes.

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    Aydian Ahmad

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