‘Rainbow’s’ Colorful Trip Across U.S.

“Reading Rainbow” doesn’t have the high profile of other PBS children’s shows, but this quietly fine series, 18 seasons later, is as fresh as ever, introducing viewers to the joy of books with entertaining show-and-tell informality and the warmth of its enthusiastic host, actor-director LeVar Burton.

Friday’s episode is one of the best yet. “My America,” a celebratory trip across the country based on a book of poems collected by Lee Bennett Hopkins, is chock-full of gorgeous special effects and film segments, real kids and poetry.

The variety and the commonality of life in the United States are illustrated by day-in-the-life segments with a girl on a Montana ranch and a boy in New York City, and by other kids giving mini-tours of their states. Tour guide Burton also asks “pop quiz” questions and points out how language can change from place to place: a submarine sandwich elsewhere is a hoagie, a hero or a grinder; a paper bag can be a poke or a sack.

Live-action film accompanies poems about life in a New England lighthouse, Hawaii and Tennessee that are read by Tom and Ray Magliozzi (of public radio’s “Car Talk”), Broadway actress Lea Salonga and poet Nikki Giovanni. Junior book critics give their peers on-air book recommendations.

The show’s central visual aid is a state-of-the-art, computer-generated 3-D map of the United States, and it’s a wow of a special effect. The states resemble giant pop-up puzzle pieces made of wood, metal and organic and inorganic textiles, and they’re put to creative use as seating, flooring, backdrop, scenery and stage during the show.

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* “Reading Rainbow: My America,” can be seen today on KCET-TV at 1:30 p.m. The network has rated it TV-Y (suitable for young children).