I was relaxing one evening last week when I opened the Threads app, and one of the first things I saw was a comment from Mychal Threets, better known online as Mychal the Librarian, about The Chronicles of Narnia.
PBS Kids posted on Threads, saying:
“Reminder: It’s okay if your favorite book right now is the same one you’ve read 400 times.”
Reading Rainbow reposted that message, adding:
“What’s your comfort series? 🙂📚”
Mychal the Librarian responded:
“Chronicles of Narnia is my comfort series 🦁”
If you didn’t know already, Reading Rainbow, one of the greatest TV shows ever made, has finally returned, and it has a new host who feels like exactly the right fit. LeVar Burton set an incredibly high bar as the original host, much like Jeopardy!‘s Alex Trebek or The Price is Right‘s Bob Barker did in their own eras.
I’ve now watched all four of the new episodes hosted by Mychal, and I think he’s nailed it. Like Drew Carey stepping into The Price is Right, he isn’t trying to imitated his predecessor. He’s doing his own thing, and that’s precisely why it works. Mychal the Librarian isn’t trying to be LeVar Burton. He’s being his authentic self, just like Burton. I hope there are many more episodes to give Mychal a chance to continue to grow in the role.
I also used to work at the local library. It was my first job in high school, and I kept it through college. So I genuinely appreciate how Mychal uses his platform to celebrate libraries and the people who make them welcoming places. And I agree with him completely: go to your local library. If it’s anything like mine, you might even be able to borrow a ukulele.
I would love the opportunity to interview Mychal the Librarian someday about Narnia, Reading Rainbow, libraries, and his own work. This week, his first book was released: I’m So Happy You’re Here: A Celebration of Library Joy. He also narrates the audiobook himself.
The book is exactly what the title promises. It’s joyful, affirming, and deeply sincere. It even closes with pages that encourage readers to share the book, visit their local libraries, and reconnect with the idea of reading as something communal rather than solitary. And reminds us that many libraries have regular events available to attend.
I wrote in a thread of my own recently that on my personal account a little while ago: People are saying that Mychal is this generation’s LeVar Burton or Mr. Rogers. I agree. But with nuance. I think he is this generation’s Mychal the Librarian. And both Levar Burton and Fred Rogers are still just as relevant as ever. Mychal the Librarian has joined their ranks.
If you haven’t seen the new Reading Rainbow yet, here’s one of the episodes:
What does this have to do with Narnia besides the fact that he likes it?
It’s more than just liking The Chronicles of Narnia. For Mychal, Narnia is his go-to comfort series.
I think most of us have stories we return to when we need comfort. There are movies and TV shows I’ve watched hundreds of times, not because they surprise me anymore, but because they feel familiar and grounding.
In Mychal’s case, those stories are the Narnia books. And that’s a very different thing than simply enjoying them. Comfort stories shape us. They stay with us. They become part of who we are.
That’s why this matters.
What’s your comfort series (and why is it Narnia)? Comment below.
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