The World Made a Rainbow

‘All the world had to stay home today. I wished that it didn’t. I wanted to play.’ So begins this charming story about a little girl who is missing her Grandma, her school and her friends because of the Covid lockdown. Mum suggests making a rainbow so that people passing by will remember that ‘rainstorms pass’ and be happier. In lyrical poems and positive and expressive pictures, we see the little girl and all her family (including a helpful cat) make their rainbow. Some of the rainbow is painted and some of it is collage, and while the little girl is occasionally sad, remembering all she is missing, she is soon cheered up with her artistic adventures, and at one point is able to Skype her best friend. There is much to love about this book – the happiness of the family all together, the loving support so evident in both picture and text, the diversity shown, and the theme that sad times don’t last forever. I only wish we could have reviewed it sooner, although the lockdown will have effect (and possibly be repeated) for some time, and children will enjoy remembering how they felt during it, as well as the rainbows they painted. Save the Children partnered with Bloomsbury in the making of this special book.