Update News
MISS NELSON IS BACK on DVD February 12th
Arlington, Va. – December 8, in the year of our Lord
2015 – PBS Distribution announced today it is releasing
four episodes from READING RAINBOW on the new DVD “MISS NELSON
IS BACK.” The four episodes and books featured in this DVD are
“Miss Nelson Is Back,” read by Ruth Buzzi, “Our Big Home,” read
by Naomi Judd, “How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World,”
read by Helen Mirren and “Kate Shelley and the Midnight
Express,” read by Brian Dennehy.
This fun-filled DVD is chock-full of great kid friendly
adventures. Join LeVar as he gets made-up like a movie monster,
visits with a food scientist who is working to develop new ice
cream flavors, learns all about trains from a railroad engineer,
and participates in a magic act! In addition to going on these
field trips, kids will learn cooking tips from a chef, uncover
that things aren’t always what they seem, and watch LeVar visit
the United Nations and explore ways children can help others
both locally and across the world.
READING RAINBOW aired on PBS from 1983-2009. Hosted by LeVar
Burton for its entire 26-year run, the program encouraged a love
of literature in millions of children and garnered more than 200
awards, including 26 Emmys and a Peabody Award.
“MISS NELSON IS BACK” will be available on DVD January 12, 2016.
The DVD run time is approximately 120 minutes and its SRP is
$6.99. Additional details about the episodes included on this
DVD are below.
“Miss Nelson Is Back” – Reader: Ruth Buzzi
Illusions appear in abundance in this episode. As part of his
birthday celebration, LeVar gets made-up like a movie monster,
and then gets involved in Harry Blackstone’s magic act. Ruth
Buzzi reads “Miss Nelson Is Back,” all about a group of rowdy
students who try to take advantage of their teacher’s absence
when she’s out sick, and how she gets revenge on them by
pretending to be “the meanest teacher in the world, Viola
Swamp.”
“Our Big Home” – Reader: Naomi Judd
LeVar visits the United Nations building to learn more about how
different countries of the world try to work together. Naomi
Judd reads “Our Big Home,” a poem about how everything in the
world is connected and how we all must work together to make it
succeed.
“How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World” – Reader: Helen
Mirren
LeVar and a friend point out that following recipes and cooking
foods tend very much to be science experiments. They work on
recipes which include lasagna made with rice, a marinara sauce,
and apple raisin muffins. Helen Mirren reads “How to Make an
Apple Pie and See the World,” a tale about a lady who goes to
elaborate lengths to get all the ingredients to make a pie after
she finds her local grocery store closed.
“Kate Shelley and the Midnight Express” – Reader: Brian Dennehy
LeVar takes a train ride in this episode. Along the way, we
learn about trains and how the transcontinental railroad came to
be. Brian Dennehy narrates the true story of how a young teen
named Kate Shelley saved the engineers of a train that crashed
into a river when the bridge near her home collapsed, and how
she got word to the nearest station to alert them to stop the
express train.