LeVar Burton Using Kickstarter to Revive ‘Reading Rainbow’

LeVar Burton, host and executive producer of children’s television series Reading Rainbow, launched a Kickstarter campaign Wednesday in hopes of bringing the show online as a web series.

The series, which encouraged children to read, aired on PBS from 1983-2006 and then in re-runs until 2009. In 2012, Burton developed an iPad app about the series. Burton now wants to make the show available to any child who has Internet access and hopes to raise $1 million by July 2.

“First, not all families have access to tablets,” Burton states on the Kickstarter. “Our goal is to cultivate a love of reading in all children, not just those that have tablets. To reach kids everywhere, we need to be everywhere: we need to be on the web.”

Burton also adds that he would like to create a classroom version of the program and have low-income schools use it for free. Other schools and individual families would pay a subscription fee to access it on the web.

Burton offers various rewards for the donations on Kickstarter, including meet-and-greets with Burton, Reading Rainbow t-shirts and tote bags, and tickets to see Reading Rainbow live. Those who donate at least $10,000 will receive the Ultimate Visor Package, which includes a private dinner with Burton and the opportunity to take a photo or video while wearing the visor Burton’s character wore on Star Trek:The Next Generation.

Take a look at Burton’s full pitch below: