I have started (but not yet finished) Butterfly in the Sky, the documentary about the creation of Reading Rainbow. I stopped when I did because I knew that if I kept watching I’d watch all the way through, and I had work to do. The documentary hooked me and delighted me—much as the show did when I was little.

I grew up on Reading Rainbow (and Star Trek: The Next Generation, which created some confusion for young me). Young me didn’t understand why Geordi La Forge didn’t need his visor when he was telling me about books…

…but that didn’t matter. What mattered was that Reading Rainbow gave me stories, and in giving me those stories it took me to wonderful places that I had never seen before.

Butterfly in the Sky brought all that back. The less than half-an-hour I’ve watched so far has included plenty of food for thought and (unsurprising) details about how hard it was to convince anyone that the show was a good idea. That part was reminiscent of the resistance to creating Mister Rogers and Sesame Street that I’ve learned about before. But what really hit me was the music—the music, and the intro animation.

There’s a modernized version of the theme that plays for the introduction of Butterly in the Sky. That modern version conjured all sorts of feelings for me. Then, a little further into the documentary, we’re walked through some of the process that created the original theme… and the original theme plays alongside the intro.

I admit, I don’t know whether I’d like that old intro animation now if I hadn’t built such strong positive associations with it as a child. But that song, simple as it is, is beautiful. Not only that, it pushes straight to the heart of Reading Rainbow and what the show is about.

Hearing that music brought tears to my eyes. I was filled to overflowing by an upwelling of warmth and awe, enthusiasm and delight. There was fondness in there too. I was transported back to my childhood, but more than that I felt overwhelming gratitude that these people had made something so purpose-built to foster children’s excitement for stories and books—my excitement for stories and books.

I love the earnestness of the people who made this show! I love that they were dedicated to making Reading Rainbow work. And I’m awed that they continued their work for as long as they did with 155 episodes from 1983 to 2006.

Obviously, I care about stories. I care about books, and TV shows, and movies, and so many other ways that we have of sharing stories. I care about the ways in which we share those stories with children. Perhaps because of that, I deeply appreciate the attention that these people brought to sharing stories with children and helping children to engage with reading.

I know that Reading Rainbow wasn’t the only thing that pushed me towards a love of stories and reading. I come from a family of nerds and avid readers. I have fond memories of basically everyone in my immediate family reading to me at some point, so my love of reading seems preordained. Yet no one is shaped by only one thing, and I know that Reading Rainbow shaped me in ways that I continue to love and appreciate to this day.

Thank you to everyone who made that show, and who made that show possible.

I can’t wait to watch the rest of Butterfly in the Sky, and I hope that you enjoy it too.