Reading Rainbow

- Season 6

(1988)

In both the featured story and on the set of the show "Star Trek: the Next Generation" (which LeVar also stars in), we learn how TV shows are made and how actors in costumes and special effects can make imaginary things seem real.

With microorganisms under his belt, LeVar now goes on the lookout for insects.

LeVar tries to have lunch at a diner, but soon finds himself thrust into work. For some reason, he just doesn't understand luncheonette lingo.

Can inanimate things come to life, as the feature book suggests? LeVar finds out for himself in a factory where all the goods for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade are stored.

In New York again, LeVar goes to get a tailor-made jacket. In between comes a visit to the Fashion Institute of Technology.

LeVar is in Tennessee where he is going to a barn dance. Along the way, he meets the band who will be playing their Bluegrass music and meets a man who makes his own fiddles. At the barn, LeVar also learns a few dance steps for the big night. Roy Clark narrates "Barn Dance!", a story about a hoedown that is unlike any other.

There's more to the cat than meets the eye. It culminates with one of the stars of what was then believed to be Broadway's permanence: CATS. Jane Curtain narrates the featured book about a girl who wants a cat. In the story, Duncan and Dolores learn how to be themselves and earn each other's friendship.

What's a handicap to a determined individual? With LeVar camping out by himself, the show banks itself on a news anchor who had been born with deformed hands and feet. The featured story, Knots on a Counting Rope, tells about how a boy who is blind faces his own fears.

A camel is out of place in Boston, but LeVar rides one in preparation for a show that takes a close look at mummies. Corrine Orr narrates "Mummies Made in Egypt", a book that gives all the facts about what mummies are, how the ancient Egyptians were mummified, and what they resembled three thousand years ago.

LeVar celebrates the culture of Africa in New York City's Central Park where he learns how African drums are made, and also learns to make his first sounds on various African instruments. Phylicia Rashad narrates "Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters", an African tale about a villager who has two beautiful daughters with completely different personalities. Mufaro presents his daughters to the king who is looking for a wife.