Affiliate Disclosure: Links on this page may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Read our affiliate policy
Reading Rainbow Books in Order
Below you'll find the complete list of Reading Rainbow books in publication order. This is generally the recommended reading order for the series.
Reading order verified: March 2026
Quick Answer
What order should I read the Reading Rainbow series? Start with "Over the River and Through the Wood (By: Lydia Maria Francis Child)" (1844) and follow publication order through all 31 books.
The complete Reading Rainbow reading order is listed below in publication sequence.
Publication Order

Over the River and Through the Wood (By: Lydia Maria Francis Child)
1844

Through Grandpa's Eyes (By: Patricia MacLachlan)
1971

My Puppy Is Born (By: Joanna Cole)
1973

I Have a Sister--My Sister Is Deaf (By: Jeanne Whitehouse Peterson)
1977

Honey, I Love and Other Love Poems (By: Eloise Greenfield)
1978

Eats (By: Arnold Adoff)
1979

Mummies Made in Egypt (By: Aliki)
1979

"Could Be Worse!" (By: James Stevenson)
1979

Hot-Air Henry (By: Mary Calhoun)
1981

Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe (By: Vera B. Williams)
1981

Just Us Women (By: Jeannette Franklin Caines)
1982

The Philharmonic Gets Dressed (By: Karla Kuskin)
1982

A Medieval Feast (By: Aliki)
1983

Truck Song (By: Diane Siebert)
1984

Dabble Duck (By: Anne Leo Ellis)
1984

George Shrinks
1985

A Three Hat Day (By: Laura Geringer)
1985

Maps and Globes (By: Jack Knowlton)
1985

The Paper Crane (By: Molly Bang)
1985

Lights! Camera! Action!: How a Movie Is Made (By: Gail Gibbons)
1985

How a Book Is Made (By: Aliki)
1986

I Like the Music (By: Leah Komaiko)
1987

Bugs (By: Nancy Winslow Parker)
1987

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters (By: John Steptoe)
1987

An Enchanted Hair Tale (By: Alexis De Veaux)
1987

Sunken Treasure (By: Gail Gibbons)
1988

Storms (By: Seymour Simon)
1989

Galimoto (By: Karen Lynn Williams)
1990

How Many Stars in the Sky? (By: Lenny Hort)
1991

Water, Water Everywhere (By: Cynthia Overbeck Bix,Mark Rauzon)
1994

It Was a Dark and Silly Night...
2003
Affiliate Disclosure
As an Amazon Associate, Reading Order Books earns from qualifying purchases. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. This helps us maintain the site and continue providing reading order guides. Read our full disclosure