Rain Before Rainbows

Product Information

The author released this book earlier than intended and published it as a free PDF to help children struggling through this turbulent year - I think that makes me like the book even more? We have all had to embark on a journey we didn’t expect, facing dif- ficulty and danger, often separated from friends and loved ones. A Note to the Reader From the Author Life is never pure sunshine, but when I wrote this book I really didn’t envisage the clouds that would darken our skies the world over. To accompany Halls’ poignant text, illustrator David Litchfield’s light filled illustration seems to burst from the page in growing intensity as the pages turn: even on the darker pages, the colours are rich and vibrant. For anyone going through a difficult passage, this uplifting, beautifully illustrated picture book is about finding optimism in the darkest of places.

With beautiful illustrations and rhyming text, the poignant message of tolerance and inclusivity is integral to this heart-warming tale of love, friendship and hope.As he drifts through the ocean waves, he is swallowed by a series of unsuspecting animals only for the reader to discover he is, in fact, a plastic bag. I also love how detailed some pages are and the beautiful way that the streaks of sunlight are shown. For the past few months a lot of you have been drawing your own rainbows and displaying them on your windows.

This story would be great to use within a PSHE lesson thinking about friendship, hope and how we can stay positive. This book is an uplifting book that presents the idea that sometimes there is "rain before rainbows, clouds before sun, and night before daybreak". The girl builds a shelter in the woodland and knows that the future is bright, and the worst is behind her.

Regé-Jean will read Rain Before Rainbows by Smriti Halls and David Litchfield about a girl and her companion fox who travel together from a place of loss and despair, through uncertain times, towards the hope of colour, light and life. These full-page illustrations are simply beautiful, they capture the eye with their soft colours and delightful scenes with so much to take in. I read it as the girl was going through some mental health challenges and the book was showcasing her bad thoughts and then there was a brighter new day. I am unable to show you any pictures due to this being a digital book, but the cover is a good example of the rest of the images in the book with every double page containing one image of the girl and fox and their adventure. Rege’s story will air on Sunday 14 March, followed the next day by a story from singer Rag‘n’Bone Man.

The story was a bit heavy but the beauty of the art helped tell an important story, it was very wonderful to read. With dreamlike artwork in fantastical color combinations, rhyming text showcases the cycles in life from night before day, clouds before sunshine, sowing before reaping, etc.It’s a great way to show children that things will get better when they feel things are bad and maybe it’s a message that many adults need to see and read too at the moment! Importantly, too, that others can help – when the little girl finds her animal guides in the forest, she reminds us that there are experts and wise ones who can help us. It’s a great way to show and raise issues with children to help them understand that things will get better when they feel things are bad, a message that adults often need too! At the end of the story Tom surmises: “If one person can save a turtle, just imagine what we can all do when we work together. First US electronic edition 2020 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number pending The illustrations were done in ink and paint and rendered digitally.