LeVar Burton Will Read to Us, Thank God
Over the past few weeks, many celebrities have invited us (and our kids) to read. Actor Josh Gad , who voiced Olaf, was one of the first to read to kids live on Twitter and Instagram. Jennifer Garner and Amy Adams have launched the # SAVEWITHSTORIES campaign to encourage many celebrities to read to us. Even Dolly Parton is ready to distract us once a week with a bedtime story. But LeVar Burton? This is the voice we need right now.
Burton announced on Twitter yesterday that he would read to us three times a week: Mondays at noon ET for the kids; on Wednesdays at 18.00 (for young people); and on Fridays at 21:00 for adults among us.
In his tweet, he says Friday, April 4th, but of course he means Friday, April 3rd. Because Friday is the third. “Apologies …” he tweeted in the announcement thread. “It has been a very long day…” Oh LeVar, it is. There is.
You may remember that Burton was the longtime host of the popular PBS children’s series, Reading the Rainbow , which encouraged children to read. You are also quite aware that he played Lieutenant Commander Jordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation , as well as Kunta Quinte in the TV series Roots. Most recently, he hosts the LeVar Burton Reads podcast , which features short fiction curated and read by Burton.
As a reminder, Burton has always been on our side. Back in 1986, he introduced us to a book called Germs Make Me Sick , which you can still buy today:
As if he knew .
Be that as it may, the real help will arrive on Friday and will hopefully continue for as long as we need it.