At the beginning of each segment, the genial Robbins, a former elementary school teacher, would introduce a book, generally aimed at readers aged nine to twelve, corresponding to grades 4, 5, and 6 in the United States.
Using colored pencils, Robbins would bring the story to life for the viewer; as the picture was completed, the passage being read would generally end with a cliffhanger.
[2] Among the books profiled over the years were: Little House in the Big Woods, Call It Courage, Misty of Chincoteague, Caddie Woodlawn, A Bear Called Paddington, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Island of the Blue Dolphins, The Cricket in Times Square, A Wrinkle in Time, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, A Wizard of Earthsea, Sounder, The Toothpaste Millionaire, The Dark is Rising, Bridge to Terabithia, and Tuck Everlasting.
In 1973, Gladfelter's company, the "Instructional Television Cooperative" (ITVC) assumed production, and the first color episodes were filmed.
They were distributed on public television stations throughout the United States and Canada, and were a fixture of children's programming blocks on PBS for many years.