For those of you nostalgic for the wonderful PBS show Reading Rainbow will be happy to hear that the former show's producer and host, LeVar Burton, is launching RRKidz, a line of digital interactive children's books. RRKidz will be available as a subscription service through a free app for the IPad and select Android devices.

What's really exciting is that the list of titles (300 to start, with 45 added each month) will be curated by Burton himself, making it easy for parents and kids to find eBooks they like. The titles will be a combination of offerings from publishers and original content. Look for RRKidz to debut toward the end of 2011 or early 2012.

One goal Burton has for RRKidz is to raise the profile of quality backlist titles that might otherwise not get turned into digital formats by their publishers. You've got to love any venture that keeps great children's books alive and brings them to the attention of parents and kids.