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Olivia Weiss Post #6 - Butterfly in the Sky, Mychal's the New Host Guy!

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Okay I admit that title is really bad, let's just pretend I'm still workshopping it, but Reading Rainbow is back with a brand new host!

80s, 90s, and even early 2000s kids will rejoice to find that Reading Rainbow is back! Although it will not be airing on cable, it can be found for free via the PBS website and YouTube. Fans of the original Reading Rainbow will remember the show, hosted by LeVar Burton, which featured a different children's book in each episode, hoping to inspire a love of reading and books. The show's original run spanned 23 years and reached countless children.

The reboot will feature Mychal Threets, a librarian from California who went viral during the COVID-19 pandemic for his videos on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. Many of his most popular videos feature anecdotal stories about interactions with library patrons, particularly children, or "library kids" as he often refers to them. He is also known to share book recommendations, promote library services, and discuss mental health. Although he resigned from his position as a supervising librarian in order to focus on his mental health, he has been working as a resident librarian at PBS. He is an advocate for library joy and the fact that everyone belongs at the library. 

Mychal has been a positive presence in the library world for a few years, and his rise in popularity to becoming the new face of Reading Rainbow is a great example of how social media can boost content creators in a positive way. Although some of his mental health struggles may have been exacerbated by his viral fame, it ultimately led him to becoming the face of library joy, and a much needed face at that. With the way libraries are struggling today, it is helpful to have such a kind soul advocating for them. This is especially true for the library kids, who may need an extra boost to want to visit their local public library and experience that unhinged library joy. 

I'll see you next time!

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  1. Rachel Robertazzi10/10/2025 12:25:00 PM

    Hi Olivia!

    I LOVE that you did your blog post this week on this! Reading Rainbow was my jam growing up, and I am soooo excited Mychal is reviving it! I still get a warm, fuzzy feeling when I think about the original. There really has been nothing else like it, and I am so happy there is going to be another generation of kids who also will have that same warm, fuzzy feeling one day.

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  2. Madeline Feehan LIS 56810/14/2025 11:19:00 AM

    Hi Olivia, thanks for sharing this! I'm glad Reading Rainbow is coming back and Mychal seems like the perfect host. I really appreciate how open he is about his mental health journey- that transparency will ensure that anyone who's dealing with similar issues knows they're not alone. It's always important to remember that although we might seem like the professionals/role models, we are all human and have our personal struggles. I'm glad there's some positive news about libraries and hope these videos inspire the next generation :)

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