LeVar Burton Launched a Kickstarter to Revive “Reading Rainbow”, And It Reached Its $1 Million Goal Within Hours

Yesterday, LeVar Burton launched a Kickstarter campaign to revive "Reading Rainbow".  Its goal was set at $1 MILLION...and even though it had over a month to get there...but it surpassed that amount with hours.

Last we checked, it had raised over $1.5 million.  (Here's the campaign page.)

To be clear, the campaign isn't bringing the show back to television, where it ran from 1983 through 2009. Instead, it's to create a new version for LeVar's Reading Rainbow digital app, which is geared toward classrooms and teachers.

As well-meaning as this is, the Kickstarter has received some criticism, because unlike the show, LeVar's app is NOT free, and requires a monthly subscription.  And there's also the thought that you're better off donating to an educational charity than giving to LeVar's for-profit company.

However, in his passionate video on the campaign homepage, LeVar says he's trying to bring the show to kids everywhere, to help inspire them to read, and that part of the money raised will help subsidize it, to make it free for "classrooms in need.