Once upon a time on a rainy Saturday afternoon, near endless rows of books and a small enchanted cardboard forest in the back of the bookstore's "Children's Section" hundreds of kids with their parents crammed on both sides of a small burgundy velvet rope inside Barnes & Nobles in the Bronx Bay Plaza Mall. Hysteria is breaking loose throughout the crowd as they sit anxiously awaiting the arrival of Mr. Reading Rainbow himself Levar Burton. It was a sitting room only event and no one was budging as they sat bunched in groups waiting to hear Burton read their favorite books and autograph whatever he could for them.

Applause and screams came from out of everywhere as Levar Burton entered the room. Then with out any warning the noise disappeared and in it's placed was his low, smooth voice. As he began to read the first book of the hour the kids keyed in from time to time when they knew the particular word or words to a story. They participated in several sing-alongs as well. Their smiles were bright enough to light up any room as they sat there hanging on to Burton's every word.

Even parents were taken out of themselves by the soothing tones of Burton's voice and the enthusiastic audience participation on behalf of their kids. Burton himself was pumped as he read to them three different books. The most memorable was " Amazing Grace" by Mary Hoffman and Caroline Birch. "Amazing Grace" told the story of a young black girl whom dreamed of becoming all of these different people and did not allow anything or anyone to get in her way. For some reason it really spoke to the children because by the end of the day the book was sold out.

The children were worn out but happy. The parents were on an endless line waiting to but the Reading Rainbow Book s and all was well and everybody lived happily ever after.

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