The award-winning public television series garnered over 200 broadcast awards, namely scores of Emmy Awards, many of which were for “Outstanding Children’s Series”. The series was created under the leadership of Cecily Truett Lancit and Larry Lancit, at Lancit Media Productions in New York. The concept of a reading series for children was inspired by Twila Liggett, Ph.D., of Lincoln, Nebraska of the Great Plains National Instructional Television Library at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln; Paul Schupbach, director of the Great Plains National Instructional Television LIbrary; and Tony Buttino, of WNED-TV Buffalo, New York. The original team included Lynne Brenner Ganek, Ellen Schecter, and LeVar Burton as host.
Each episode centers on a theme from a book or other children’s literature which is explored through a number of segments or stories. The show also provided book recommendations for kids to look for when they go to the library. It is the third-longest running children’s series in PBS history, after Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and Sesame Street. It was also one of the first PBS shows to be broadcast in stereo.
