"Reading Rainbow began its 26-year run on PBS as a way to combat summer mind decay. Now it's taking the same goal to a different medium.
"What were [kids] doing in the 80s? Sitting in front of the television," explains Levar Burton, who hosted the show. "So we went where they were to steer them back in the direction of where we wanted them to go."
While television still accounts for the largest amount of children's screen time, it's not the only screen in town anymore. About half of children under 8 have access to some sort of mobile device.
Kids are on tablets, and, as of Tuesday, so is Reading Rainbow.
The new iPad app incorporates classic Reading Rainbow segments, 16 new video "field trips" starring Burton and 150 narrated interactive books. Kids navigate through themed "islands" such as "Animal Kingdom" and "Action Adventures & Magical Tales" where they can discover age-appropriate books and media. For $9.99 a month, their parents can purchase unlimited access to this content, which will be updated regularly."
http://news.yahoo.com/reading-rainbo...XBhZ2U-;_ylv=3