What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

I have been looking for a book that I saw on the Reading Rainbow show when I was a kid.

It is a children's book about a young girl who was sliding down the stairs in her home and let her imagination run away with her. As she was on her but going down the stairs, water started slowly flowing past her. The amount of water increased until it was much like a waterfall. She saw the whole first floor was liken to that of a pond with lily pads and maybe a blue heron. The book had beautiful illustrations, but that is all I can definitely remember.

Any other slightly memorable, but not definite information was that she was a Caucasian girl maybe with lighter colored hair and possibly wearing coveralls.

My folks usually taped them and I've gone through all of the video cassettes we have at home as well as online at the Reading Rainbow site and have tried to find Youtube episodes with no luck. I don't remember if LeVar Burton read it or if a kid did or if an actor read it during the show. If you have any ideas, I would greatly appreciate them!

Here's a list of books I found that were read on RR.

Reading Rainbow Booklist
Aardema, Verna and Petra Mathers. 1998. Borreguita and the Coyote.
Dragonfly Books.
Aardema, Verna. 1992. Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain. Puffin.
Adoff, Arnold. 1990. Sports Pages. Trophy Pr.
Agee, John. 1987. Ludlow Laughs. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Albert, Richard E. and Sylvia Long. 1996. Alejandro's Gift. Perfection
Learning.
Aliki. 1985. Mummies Made in Egypt. HarperCollins.
Aliki. 1986. Feelings. Greenwillow Books.
Aliki. 1988. Digging Up Dinosaurs. Collins.
Allard Jr., Harry G. and James Marshall. 1986. Miss Nelson Is Back.
Sandpiper.
Allen, Jeffrey and James Marshall. 1987. Nosey Mrs. Rat. Puffin.
Archambault, John, Ted Rand, and Bill Martin Jr. 1987. Knots on a Counting
Rope. Henry Holt and Co.
Arnosky, Jim. 1991. Raccoons and Ripe Corn. HarperCollins.
Bang, Molly. 1987. The Paper Crane. Greenwillow Books.
Barber, Tiki, Ronde Barber, Barry Root, and Robert Burleigh. 2005. Game
Day. Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books.
Barbour, Karen. 1989. Little Nino's Pizzeria. Voyager Books.
Barracca, Debra and Sal. 1990. The Adventures of Taxi Dog. Unknown.
Bash, Barbara. 1989. Desert Giant: The World of the Saguaro's Cactus.
Sierra Book Club.
Bauer, Caroline Feller and Margot Tomes. 1994. Snowy Day: Stories and
Poems. HarperCollins Childrens Books.
Baum, Arline and Joseph Baum. 1989. Opt: An Illusionary Tale. Puffin.
Berger, Melvin and Marylin Hafner. 1995. Germs Make Me Sick! Collins.
Brett, Jan. 1992. Berlioz the Bear. Scholastic Inc.
Brown, Don. 1995. Ruth Law Thrills a Nation. Sandpiper.
Brown, Marc. 1985. The Bionic Bunny Show. Little, Brown Young Readers.
Brown, Mark. 1995. Arthur's Eyes. Little, Brown and Company.
Bunting, Eve and Ronald Himler. 1992. The Wall. Sandpiper.
Bunting, Eve and Ronald Himler. 1993. Fly Away Home. Sandpiper.
Calders, Pere. 1988. Brush. Kane/Miller Book Pub.
Calhoun, Mary and Erick Ingraham. 1984. Hot-Air Henry. HarperCollins.
Cannon, Janell. 1997. Stellaluna. Harcourt Children's Books.
Chesworth, Michael. 1996. Archibald Frisby. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Christelow, Eileen. 1988. The Robbery at the Diamond Dog Diner.
Sandpiper.
Chronicle Books. 2000. Pet Stories You Don't Have to Walk. Chronicle
Books.
Cole, Joanna and Bruce Degen. 1989. The Magic School Bus Inside the
Earth. Scholastic Press.
Cooney, Donald and Barbara Hall Cooney. 1979. Ox-Cart Man. Penguin
Group USA.
Cowan, Catherine. 1997. My Life with the Wave. Scholastic.
Coy, John and Carolyn Fisher. 2009. Two Old Potatoes and Me. Dragonfly
Books.
Deacon, Alexis. 2003. Beegu. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Demi. 1988. Liang and the Magic Paintbrush. Perfection Learning.
DePaola, Tomie. 1991. The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush. Putnam
Juvenile.
Diakite, Penda and Baba Wague Diakite. 2006. I Lost My Tooth in Africa.
Scholastic Press.
Drescher, Henrik. 2006. Simon's Book. MacAdam/Cage.
Du Quette, Keith. 1996. Hotel Animal. Puffin.
Fink, Joanne. 1990. Jack, the Seal and the Sea. Silver Burdett Pr.
Fleming, Candace and Stacey Dressen-McQueen . 2003. Boxes for Katje.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Flournoy, Valerie and Jerry Pinkney. 1985. The Patchwork Quilt. Dial.
Frasier, Debra. 1991. On the Day You Were Born. Trumpet Club.
Garland, Sherry and Tatsuro Kiuchi. 1993. The Lotus Seed. Harcourt
Children's Books.
Geringer, Laura and Arnold Lobel. 1987. A Three Hat Day. HarperCollins.
Gershator, David, Phillis Gershator, and Emma Shaw-Smith. 1998. Bread Is
for Eating. Henry Holt and Co.
Gibbons, Gail. 1987. The Milk Makers. Aladdin.
Gibbons, Gail. 1990. Sunken Treasure. HarperCollins.
Glaser, Linda. 2000. Our Big Home: An Earth Poem. Millbrook Press.
Goble, Paul. 1984. The Gift of the Sacred Dog. Aladdin.
Hazen, Barbara Shook and Trina Schart Hyman. 1983. Tight Times. Puffin
Books.
Heller, Ruth. 1981. Chickens Aren't the Only Ones. Grosset.
Henkes, Kevin. 1993. Owen. Troll Associates.
Hest, Amy and Amy Schwartz. 1992. The Purple Coat. Aladdin.
Hest, Amy and Jon J. Muth. 2007. Mr. George Baker. Candlewick.
Hoffman, Mary. 1991. Amazing Grace. Dial.
Hogan, Paula and Geri K. Strigenz. 1983. The Life Cycle of the Honeybee.
Raintree Childrens Books.
Hopkins, Lee Bennett and Stephen Alcorn. 2000. My America: A Poetry
Atlas of the United States. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
Hurd, Thatcher. 1985. Mama Don't Allow. Perfection Learning.
Hurd, Thatcher. 1989. Mystery on the Docks. The Trumpet Club.
Isadora, Rachel. 1984. Max. Aladdin.
Jacobs, Francine and Laura Kelly. 1992. Sam the Sea Cow. Walker Books
for Young Readers.
Jeschke, Susan. 1981. Perfect the Pig. Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Joyce, William. 1995. Dinosaur Bob and His Adventures with the Family
Lazardo. HarperCollins.
Kellogg, Stephen. 1985. Paul Bunyan. HarperCollins.
Kurtis-Kleinman, Eileen and Diane Greenseid. 1999. When Aunt Lena Did
the Rhumba. Hyperion Book CH.
Lattimore, Deborah Nourse. 1992. The Lady with the Ship on Her Head.
Voyager Books.
Lee, Jeanne M. 1994. Silent Lotus. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Leedy, Loreen. 1990. The Furry News. Holiday House.
Lessac, Frané. 1987. My Little Island. HarperCollins.
Levinson, Riki and Diane Goode. 1987. Watch the Stars Come Out. Holmes
& Meier Publishers.
Lewis, Thomas P., Osvaldo Blanco, Joan Sandin. 1997. Hill of Fire.
HarperTrophy.
London, Jonathan and Woodleigh Hubbard. 1996. Hip Cat. Chronicle Books.
Lyon, David. 1987. The Runaway Duck. HarperCollins.
Lyon, George Ella and Stephen Gammell. 1993. Come a Tide. Orchard
Books.
MacGill-Callahan, Sheila. 1996. And Still the Turtle Watched. Puffin.
Marshak, Samuel. 1990. Hail to Mail. Henry Holt & Co.
Marshall, Edward and James Marshall. 1992. Space Case. Puffin.
Marshall, Edward and James Marshall. 1994. Three by the Sea. Puffin.
Marshall, James. 1995. Fox on the Job. Puffin.
Martin Jr., Bill, John Archambault, and Ted Rand. 1988. Barn Dance! Henry
Holt and Co.
Mathers, Petra. 1991. Sophie and Lou. HarperCollins Childrens Books.
Mazer, Anne. 1994. The Salamander Room. Dragonfly Books.
McDonald, Megan and S.D. Schindler. 1993. Is This a House for Hermit Crab?
Orchard Books.
Meddaugh, Susan. 1995. Martha Speaks. Sandpiper.
Mitchell, Margaree King and James E. Ransome. 1998. Uncle Jed's Barber
Shop. Aladdin.
Moss, Lloyd. 1995. Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin. Simon & Schuster Books for You.
Moss, Marissa. 1995. Regina's Big Mistake. Sandpiper.
Munson, Derek and Tara Calahan King. 2000. Enemy Pie. Chronicle Books.
Murphy, Stuart J. and Tricia Tusa. 1997. Lemonade for Sale. HarperCollins.
Noble, Trinka Hakes and Steven Kellogg. 1992. The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate
the Wash. Puffin.
Noble, Trinka Hakes and Tony Ross. 1992. Meanwhile Back at the Ranch.
Puffin.
Numeroff, Laura Joffe and Felicia Bond. 1985. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.
Scholastic.
Paulsen, Gary. 1997. Work Song. Harcourt Brace & Company.
Pinkwater, Daniel. 1990. Tooth-Gnasher Superflash. Aladdin.
Plotkin, Lynne and Mark J. Cherry. 1998. The Shaman's Apprentice: A Tale
of the Amazon Rain Forest. Gulliver Green.
Polacco, Patricia. 1991. Appelemando's Dreams. Penguin Putnam Books for
Young Readers.
Polacco, Patricia. 1994. Mrs. Katz and Tush. Dragonfly Books.
Polacco, Patricia. 1996. Rechenka's Eggs. Putnam Juvenile.
Pomerantz, Charlotte and James Marshall. 1989. The Piggy in the Puddle.
Aladdin.
Priceman, Marjorie. 1996. How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World.
Dragonfly Books.
Ringgold, Faith. 1996. Tar Beach. Dragonfly Books.
Romanova, Natalia and Gennady Spirin. 1992. Once There Was a Tree.
Puffin.
Roop, Peter and Connie Roop. 1989. Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie. Live
Oak Media.
Rosenberg, Liz and Jim LaMarche. 1998. The Carousel. Voyager Books.
Roth, Roger. 1998. The Sign Painter's Dream. Random House Value
Publishing.
Sadler, Marilyn. 1989. Alistair in Outer Space. Aladdin.
Sadler, Marilyn. 1992. Alistair's Time Machine. Simon & Schuster Children's
Publishing.
Samuels, Barbara. 1989. Duncan and Dolores. Aladdin.
Saul, Carol P. 1997. Someplace Else. Aladdin.
Say, Allen. 1989. The Bicycle Man. Sandpiper.
Schwartz, Amy. 1971. Bea and Mr. Jones. Bradbury Press.
Schwartz, David M. and Stephen Kellogg. 1985. How Much Is a Million?
Scholastic.
Scieszka, Jon and Lane Smith. 1995. Math Curse. Viking Juvenile.
Seeger, Pete and Michael Hays. 1994. Abiyoyo. Perfection Learning.
Sharmat, Marjorie Weinman and Byron Barton. 1990. Gila Monsters Meet
You at the Airport. Aladdin.
Sharmat, Mitchell, Jose Aruego, and Ariane Dewey. 1980. Gregory, the
Terrible Eater. Four Winds Press.
Small, David. 1988. Imogene's Antlers. Dragonfly Books.
Spier, Peter. 1978. Bored- Nothing to Do! Doubleday Zephyr Books.
Stadler, John. 1986. Animal Café. Aladdin.
Steptoe, John. 1987. Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters. Amistad.
Stevens, Janet. 1985. The Tortoise and the Hare. Holiday House.
Stevenson, Robert Louis and Glenna Lang. 2007. My Shadow. David R
Godine.
Swamp, Jake and Erwin Printup, Jr. 1997. Giving Thanks: A Native
American Good Morning Message. Lee & Low Books.
Tayntor, Elizabeth, Paul Erickson, and Les Kaufman. 1990. Dive to the Coral
Reefs. Crown Publishers.
Teague, Mark. 1999. The Secret Shortcut. Scholastic.
Tokuda, Wendy, Richard Hall, and Hanako Wakiyama. 1986. Humphrey the
Lost Whale: A True Story. Heian International.
Torres, Leyla. 1999. Saturday Sancocho. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Turner, Ann and James Graham Hale. 1992. Through Moon and Stars and
Night Skies. HarperCollins.
Tusa, Tricia. 1992. Stay Away from the Junkyard! Aladdin.
Varley, Susan. 1992. Badger's Parting Gifts. HarperCollins.
Walter, Mildred Pitts Walter and Margot Tomes. 1980. Ty's One Man Band.
Scholastic Inc.
Ward, Helen and Wayne Anderson. 2003. The Tin Forest. Puffin.
Wetterer, Margaret K. and Karen Ritz. 1991. Kate Shelley and the Midnight
Express. Live Oak Media.
Wild, Jocelyn. 1990. Florence and Eric Take the Cake. Puffin.
Williams, Karen Lynn and Catherine Stock. 1991. Galimoto. HarperCollins.
Williams, Vera B. 1984. A Chair for My Mother. Greenwillow Books.
Williams, Vera B. 1984. Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe. Greenwillow
Books.
Winter, Jeanette. 1992. Follow the Drinking Gourd. Dragonfly Books.
Woodson, Jacqueline and Hudson Talbott. 2005. Show Way. Putnam
Juvenile.
Woodson, Jacqueline and James Ransome. 2002. Visiting Day. Scholastic
Press.
Wright, Joan Richards and Nancy Winslow Parker. 1988. Bugs. Greenwillow
Books.
Wyeth, Sharon Dennis and Raul Colon. 1995. Always My Dad. The Trumpet
Club.
Wyler, Rose. 1991. Seashore Surprises. Silver Burdett Pr.
Yorinks, Arthur and Richard Egielski. 1986. Louis the Fish. Farrar, Straus
and Giroux.
Zelinsky, Paul O. 1986. Rumpelstiltskin. Scholastic.
Zelver, Patricia and Frane Lessac. 2005. The Wonderful Towers of Watts.
Boyds Mills Press.

Emma, If nobody here can help you, I suggest you post in the Children's Books group. There are many knowledgable members there, including many who were fans of the Reading Rainbow show and books. Good luck finding the book!

Not for nothing but I think I might start a Reading Rainbow Challenge. I LOVED Reading Rainbow and felt its cancellation was a very sad day.

Lisa, I will do that for sure! thanks!!!

Emma, are you still looking for this book?

Yes, I have slowed down the search because I cannot find the old Reading Rainbow show with the correct book and I'm not finding anything useful yet, but I'm still hoping it will turn up.

Emma--if you bump this up every 30 to 60 days, you will have better luck getting it found. Our Lobstergirl is an over achiever and trying to get every book in the Unsolved folder ID'ed. :o) Most people don't go back that far, so they don't see the "oldies".

The Magic House by Robyn Harbert Eversole? Unfortunately, I can't find any inner pics, except the cover
[image error]

Here is a descrip from School Library Journal: April is convinced that her house is magic. A waterfall flows down the stairs, a desert covers the first floor, and two monsters (in the guise of washer and dryer) live in the basement. The only glitch is her big sister, Meredith, who is too mature for this kind of nonsense and is interested in more serious pursuits. When the older girl has a problem getting the right feeling into her role as a swan in an upcoming ballet recital, however, it is April to the rescue. The pool that has been collecting at the bottom of the waterfall in the front hall is the perfect place to imagine being a swan. The sisters share a special moment as Meredith glides over the water, finally realizing the magic of imagination. The dreamlike quality of the illustrations is perfect for this story. Readers see what April is thinking, and Meredith is actually transformed into a swan in the final pages. The book does not leave much to readers' imaginations, but the development of the story hinges on knowing what is in April's mind. Primary graders will be quick to identify with her in the face of a know-it-all older sister, and be encouraged that, despite their range in age, these siblings can still dream together.

Also, the illustrations were described as paintings. Were the illustrations in your book paintings?

If that is the book, it sounds like a gorgeous story.

If not...
I've been wondering. Wasn't there another tv show similar to Reading Rainbow from which the book may have come? I'm not thinking of Wishbone or whatever that one was, with the dog and books for older kids, but one that focused on picture-books just as RR did....

I remember watching a show on PBS where a guy would read books and while they were being read, someone did paintings of what the person was reading. It was on around the time of Reading Rainbow. That show turned me on to the book "Lizard Music" which is one of my favorites.

I couldn't find any images online either so I bought the book for ~95 cents on Amazon. I received it yesterday and it was the correct book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so so so very much for looking into this inquiry and finding "The Magic House". I really appreciate it!

Yay! Happy you found it, Emma :)

Hi Emma - I'm glad you like The Magic House. I just saw your message today... I'm the author. I wrote the story when I was 17, which was a long time ago, and it is based on a real house in WV where I grew up. I do from vague memory think it was on Reading Rainbow, though no idea when. Anyway, I hope the story is as you remember and that you enjoy it.

Robyn Eversole

Robyn, I added a the above cover image to your book page here on GR. You might want to claim your author page, here, so you can easily fill out your profile and make any necessary corrections to your list of books. Look for the 'is this you?' link on your page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...