Reading rainbow

The story of a little girl who came with her brother to America on a boat, with a discussion of the Statue of Liberty and immigrants. Includes related book reviews.

A brother and sister bravely travel alone across the ocean to the United States, from the book by Riki Levinson.

Zelda Rubinstein reads the featured book A three hat day by Laura Geringer about R.R. Pottle the Third who shows us dreams can come true, at the change of a hat. Host LeVar Burton can go anywhere by changing the hat he wears. LeVar puts on a jockey's cap and visits the racetrack. With the change of a hat LeVar joins the New York Islanders professional hockey team and learns what it's like to be a goalie. The reviewed books are Caps for sale by Esphyr Slobodkina, Maebelle's suitcase by Tricia Tusa and Shoes by Elizabeth Winthrop.

The feature book gives practical hints on how to tie knots, put up a tent and cook a delicious outdoor meal. LeVar encounters fun and excitement as he goes camping with a group of young friends and then shares his experiences of an African vacation where he rode a raft through the white water of the dangerous and uncharted Zambezi River.

The feature book is filled with poems about the experiences and feelings of young athletes involved in various sports. Levar shares his own enthusiasm for athletics as he takes viewers from sport to sport including soccer, basketball, ice skating, swimming, and gymnastics. Emotions and feelings are explored when viewers meet a variety of young athletes, including U.S. Olympic Team gymnasts and a brother and sister who skate together for the Olympics.

Review books: The Blue Ribbon Day by Katie Couric, Winners Never Quit by Mia Hamm, Pecorino Plays Ball by Alan Madison.

Follows the journey of "wrong-way" Humphrey as he finds his way back to the sea. Based on the journey of a California Humpback Whale.

The Elm Street Kids' Club decides to sell lemonade to earn money to fix up their clubhouse. They monitor their success by tracking daily sales. In this math-based episode, LeVar takes viewers to the American Stock Exchange, for a closer look at the economics and challenges of running a business. We also explore two very different kinds of companies: a for-profit business and a non-profit organization.

A mathematical magician helps readers conceptualize a million, a billion, and a trillion. Other segments include: Really big numbers: LeVar explores ways of counting large numbers as he talks to people who share grouping and estimating techniques ; How crayons are made: a visit to the Crayola Crayon Factory shows how crayons are made and talk about the large number of crayons they handle in their jobs ; Football estimation: a visit to Giants Stadium shows how vendors and stadium employees use estimation to prepare for game day.

Looks at Japanese culture, including music, food preparation and display, and origami. Features the book The paper crane, by Molly Bang, which is about a mysterious man who enters a restaurant and pays for his dinner with a paper crane that magically comes alive and dances. Reviews other books on related topics including "Paper" through the ages by Shaaron Cosner, The perfect crane by Anne Laurin, How my parents learned to eat by Ina R. Friedman, and Easy origami by Dokuohtei Nakano.