Librarian Mychal Threets Talks Rebooting Reading Rainbow and Panel Eats Goo

Librarian Mychal Threets & Reading Rainbow

• 💡 Mychal Threets, a popular librarian and TikTok personality, is the new host of the rebooted Reading Rainbow on YouTube.
• 🚀 He was deeply inspired by Lavar Burton as a child and aims to uphold the show's legacy of promoting literacy and library joy.
• 📚 Threets' dedication to books led him from being a shelver to becoming the supervising librarian of his childhood library.

Connecting Kids to Reading

• 🌱 Threets encourages reading by linking books to children's existing interests, such as Spider-Man, K-pop, or sports.
• ✅ He validates the reading of graphic novels and repeated reads, emphasizing that "reading is reading" and all readers are worthy.
• 🎨 His profound personal connection to books is showcased through his book-themed tattoos, including a library card and Arthur Read.

Unusual Library Discoveries

• 💬 Threets shared experiences of being "shushed" by library visitors despite working there, highlighting a common library interaction.
• ⚠️ He has encountered unusual items in returned books, such as social security cards and even baloney, used as makeshift bookmarks.

Modern Food & Travel Trends

• 🍽️ The panel discussed the trend of consuming "nutrient goo" or liquid meals to save time, which was described as a "powerful rebuttal to those who believe you're supposed to enjoy your life."
• ✈️ A new travel trend involves intentionally choosing the airplane middle seat for a "spiritual" or "midair cuddle" experience.
• 🏈 The conversation also touched on the Super Bowl being humorously framed as a "Starbucks versus Dunkin'" matchup.

Quirky News & Pop Culture

• 炭 A new government mascot named Coley, a talking lump of coal, was introduced to encourage mining, sparking panel amusement.
• 📛 Men named Jeffrey are increasingly going by "Jeff" to distance themselves from negative associations like Jeffrey Epstein.
• 🎤 The New York Times investigated the "annoying reciting poetry voice" used by performers, questioning its necessity and impact.