Reading Rainbow - Season 4

First aired: 6/23/1986 10 episodes

Episodes

1. Animal Cafe

Aired: 6/23/1986

LeVar goes to a 24-hour diner to look into night jobs, and profiles people who have occupations in the evening and early morning hours, like radio DJ's, bakers, cab drivers, and police officers. In a separate story, a man ventures into a cave to see bats and other nocturnal animals. Martin Short narrates the story of "Animal Cafe," about a cat and dog who operate a third shift restaurant for all the animals in their neighborhood while keeping it a secret from their human owner.

2. Alistair in Outer Space

Aired: 6/24/1986

Alistair is on his way to return library books when he is captured in a spaceship by two creatures called Goots. Also includes Library of Congress, Maps and Globes, Conan the Librarian, Book Care and Repair and book reviews for Check it Out! The Book about Libraries, Commander Toad and Maps and Toads.

3. Feelings

Aired: 6/25/1986

Pictures, dialogues, poems, and stories portray a variety of emotions we all feel - jealousy, sadness, fear, anger, joy, love, etc. Also includes Let's Make Music, Feeling Sad, Meet Koko and Penny and book reviews for Honey, I Love and Other Love Poems, Fireflies! and Loudmouth George and the Sixth-Grade Bully.

4. Watch the Stars Come Out

Aired: 6/26/1986

LeVar visits a pig farm in Hawaii to find out why pigs are so popular. He also interviews Kermit the Frog to ask him about his famous girlfriend, Miss Piggy.James Coco reads the story of Perfect the Pig, about a little runt pig who makes a wish to have wings in order to be special, and how he found a special person to be his friend and companion.

5. Mama Don't Allow

Aired: 6/27/1986

When Miles gets a saxophone for his birthday, neither his parents nor his neighborhood can stand the racket! No one guesses what's in store for them, when Miles and his Swamp Band receive and invitation to play at the Alligator Ball. Also includes Alligator Farm, Meet Fred Newman, Visit the Creole Queen, and The Saxophone Player and book reviews for Miranda, Apt. 3 and Alligator Shoes.

6. Space Case

Aired: 6/30/1986

Is there life on other planets and stars? LaVar sends a message to aliens who might be watching and a radio telescope in Puerto Rico is profiled. Today's featured story is about a being from outer space who visits Earth.

7. The Milk Makers

Aired: 7/1/1986

LeVar spends a day at the dairy seeing how cows are milked and understanding what care cows need. Alaina Reed Hall reads the story of The Milk Makers, detailing how milk is collected from cows, processed in dairies and sent to grocery stores

8. Imogene's Antlers

Aired: 7/2/1986

LaVar visits the Philadelphia Zoo in Pennsylvania to learn about animals with horns and antlers. In today's featured story, a young girl wakes up one morning to discover she's grown her own pair of antlers.

9. Germs Make Me Sick!

Aired: 7/3/1986

LeVar goes on a search for microorganisms, distinguishing the good ones from the bad. An animated satire of Hill Street Blues (which ran 1981-1987) shows white blood cells ready to fight germs. Molly Mandlin reads Germs Make Me Sick!, explaining how people can catch colds and diseases from exposure to germs.

10. Abiyoyo

Aired: 7/4/1986

In one of the rare times Reading Rainbow uses a studio set, LeVar tells about storytelling through music. The then-new art of music videos is first up, with clips of Who's Johnny (among others). Pete Seeger appears on the set to perform his version of Abiyoyo. Also unique to htis episode: all the book reviewers share the stage with LeVar.