I hope that this book and the beauty of David’s illustrations can, in some small way, help us to acknowledge loss and sadness, while giving voice to our strength and resilience. 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. The girl and the fox encounter and must deal with scary creatures and a raging storm whilst on a long journey before finally finding a new land where there are new friends to meet and eventually the darkness turns into a bright and wonderful new day. This book was originally released for free in its digital format as part of Save The Children’s ‘Save With Stories’ campaign during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A girl goes on a journey with her fox friend and things aren’t always easy but in the end there is a bright and beautiful world. The girl and the fox must deal with rain and storms, and a dark scary night all while journeying somewhere far away.It’s a message to let children (and even adults looking at this) know that better times will come, even if there are bad things happening now, there’s always a cycle to life and just like the book shows, you can’t have a rainbow without first having some rain! A girl and her companion fox travel together from a place of loss and despair, through uncertain times, towards the hope of colour, light and life. 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. If ever there was a right time for a beautiful, uplifting book like this to come into your life, it’s now. We can overcome diseases, invent amazing new things and make the world a better place by helping animals, and helping each other.

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. I don't have much to say except that this will appeal to kids who are facing difficulties in their early years. The images are quite magical and there is such a lot to see in each page, plenty for both children and adults to look at in this book. An engaging story about how children can show their parents they are still cool after all, even if it’s not in quite the same way.

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. The book may be particularly important and useful at the moment with coronavirus and the worry this may be causing a lot of children.