The lineup of LeVar Burton fans who descended on the Altadena Main Library Saturday spanned all ages: There was Vicki Knight, 76, who is a fan of the actor’s central role of Kunta Kinte in the landmark miniseries “Roots” with her daughter Michelle, who knows and loves Burton as Geordi La Forge in “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”
The mother and daughter have recently introduced Michelle’s preteen daughter Amelia to “Reading Rainbow,” the classic PBS children’s series about reading, readers, and what anyone can learn from books.
“It’s hard not to cry, his book is choking me up,” Knight said, as she watched Burton, 66, read his children’s book “The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm” to more than 500 people of all ages at the library.
The library visit was organized by the Altadena Libraries, William Morris Endeavor, and LeVar Burton Entertainment, as a way to help Altadena after the Eaton Fire.
“I believe in doing what we can from where we stand,” Burton told the crowd. “Today, I stand in and with Altadena.”
Sangita Patel, co-founder and CEO of LeVar Burton Entertainment, said libraries have a special place in their hearts. The company gave away 400 copies of the book to children and Burton’s agency, William Morris Endeavor, also donated $20,000 to the Pasadena Educational Foundation.
“The library is the heart of the community, so what better way to help than here?” Patel said.
There was face-painting and birdhouse-decorating, popcorn and candy, as well as free books from the library, the nonprofit Families in Schools and Daniela Levy, 17, a San Marino High School student who brought more than 1,000 books she had collected through book drives.
“All I knew was I would have been devastated if I had lost my book collection. Reading makes me feel comforted, and I hope the kids here get the same feeling I did when I was their age, how a book can bring you to different worlds and make you feel different emotions. It’s a great escape.”
Burton’s company also provided more than 1,000 copies of the book for every second-grader in the Pasadena Unified School District, said Susan Schaefer Bernado, who co-wrote the book.
“Everybody goes through hard times, and there are ways you can find your light again,” she said of their work. “We have to step up for each other.”
Professional host and local resident Tomm Polos said his mission Saturday was to make everyone smile and laugh. He revealed that the very favorite books of local leaders such as Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, state Sen. Sasha Perez, D-Pasadena, were, incredibly enough, in the Altadena Main Library.
“The hope is to bring people the joy and curiosity and optimism that Altadena and LeVar Burton are known for,” Polos said.
Assemblymember John Harabedian declared the gathering “by far the best event of the year” and praised L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger and the Altadena Town Council for continuing to fight for the town. Harabedian also led the crowd in serenading Burton with the theme from “Reading Rainbow.”
“He’s a hero to me,” Harabedian said.
For her part, Barger (favorite book, “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein) said the celebration is proof of an Altadena beyond the bricks and mortar lost to the fire.
“When I see everyone here, families coming together at the library that’s always been the center of Altadena, it gives me hope and I hope it gives them hope as well,” she said, adding that Burton is an amazing man.
“He’s here and he’s present, he really cares and you feel it,” Barger said.
It’s a sentiment Caroline Joyner echoed, in an attempt to explain the people who parked blocks away to see the actor, author and host. Joyner is director of impact, inclusion and advocacy for William Morris Endeavor.
“He’s an important intergenerational figure of joy, a calming influence, and I think the community needs that,” Joyner said. “The book was born from a desire to create a toolbox for coping with grief and working through loss.”
Jon Camacho read most of the book to his daughter Caeley, 4, before they picked out a gleaming copy of “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” by Bill Martin Jr. to bring home. Caeley also shimmied with Clifford the Big Red Dog, before helping her dad polish off a burrito from El Patrón restaurant and a slice from Prime Pizza.
“I think I’m having more fun than her,” Camacho said, who said Burton’s “Star Trek” role is his favorite iteration of the man who was awarded the Humanities Medal by former President Joe Biden in 2023.
Sandy Mendoza of the nonprofit Families in Schools said attendees picked up books about feelings and bugs were popular at the event. The Los Angeles-based group dedicated to early literacy is bringing volunteers to read to children impacted by the wildfire in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Pasadena.
“We want to bring joy and healing into their lives, especially with so much trauma surrounding them,” she said. “Just to see the smiles on their faces when they got the books was something.”
Volunteer Liz Weissmann of Torrance brought her two sons, ages 10 and 13, to help give out books.
“I want the children here to have that same sense of security again, of being read to, that’s been taken away by the fires,” she said.
For Knight, whose house in the “Presidents street” section of eastern Altadena, did not burn, being evacuated for two months is nothing compared to the loss of so many homes around town.
“We had community,” Knight said. “We would set down outside every night and talk to each dog walker passing by and just look at our mountains. I have lived 48 years in Altadena and I am staying for my neighbors.”
For Burton, the message is the same for the children who came to hear him read, and the older Altadenans who came to hear him speak.
“Don’t be afraid to dream the big dream. The universe supports those who want to change the world for the better,” he said.
And above all else, hope.
“Without hope, we are lost. We just to have to be persistent and patient and steadfast in the belief that change is possible and we can change the world for the better.”