New ‘Reading Rainbow’ Host Will Hold Storytimes with Local Elementary-School Children - The Source - Bend, Oregon
A famous bookfluencer, known as Mychal The Librarian and host of the “Reading Rainbow” digital reboot, is holding numerous storytimes in Bend for local grade-school children. Mychal Threets, 36, will visit nine elementary schools on Monday, Nov. 9 and Tuesday, Nov. 10, reading to students and spreading his message of the healing power of books. He’ll then lead a community storytime, hoping to reach all the local youth he doesn’t get to visit at their schools. That is set for 6 pm on Monday, Nov. 9 at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Oregon. Cassie Clemans is the owner of Roundabout Books & Cafe. She’s worked closely with folks from UUFCO and Deschutes Public Library to work out the logistics of Threets’ visit. “He is just one of the best humans on the planet,” Clemans said. “He’s very warm and kind, and he connects with kids in this really great way.” Clemans lauds Threets, who lives outside the Bay Area, for his advocacy of literacy and libraries and for serving as an “incredible, outspoken voice on mental health and self-love, and community and belonging. “He champions that message everywhere he goes,” she said. Getting Threets to Bend was a communal effort. UUFCO is lending its community-event space, while the library and Roundabout Books has pitched in for travel expenses. Threets’ Bend visit came about after he posted an open letter to Oregonians, the day after the Oct. 15 Silver Rail Elementary School shooting. He wrote on social media that he’d be honored to travel here to share stories. Clemans said she instantly knew she had to help make that happen. She found Threets’ email and reached out. Threets, a librarian, literary ambassador and self-proclaimed number-one fan of libraries, has been open about his struggles with mental health, self-love and books’ healing power. And since October 2025, Threets has hosted the digital revival of the “Reading Rainbow” series, famously helmed by actor LeVar Burton from 1983 through 2006 as a way to bolster children’s reading during summer breaks. Like the original PBS show, the rebooted “Reading Rainbow” dedicates each episode to a particular children’s book. While in Bend, Threets will spend about 45 minutes at each of the eight elementary schools, reading with students. He’ll also hold a special session for Silver Rail students at a local school. “Mychal just wants to talk to them and read books together,” Clemens said. “He’s not coming as a presenter or a keynote speaker. He finds a lot of comfort and love in books, and so that’s what he’s doing. He’ll just share his love and good will.” Threets grew up in Fairfield, California. The homeschooler got his first library card at age 5 and said he was hooked on libraries ever since. He got his first job as a shelver at his local Solano County Library, eventually working his way up to become its supervising librarian. He resigned from the role in 2024 to prioritize his mental health, he said at the time . Threets holds a Master of Library and Information Science degree from San Jose State University. He received the 2024 “I Love My Librarian” award from the American Library Association, was named one of School Library Journal’s 2024 Movers and Shakers and was honored by TIME Magazine as one of the 2024 Next Generation Leaders. We're stronger together! Become a Source member and help us empower the community through impactful, local news. Your support makes a difference! Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License . by Dallas Finn Calvert, The Source - Bend, Oregon November 4, 2026 Dallas is a staff reporter and calendar editor for The Source. She previously worked for The Bulletin, the Lake Oswego Review and the West Linn Tidings. She’s also worked as a stringer for The Oregonian,... More by Dallas Finn Calvert
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