Rain Before Rainbows

Product Information

A simple story with a powerful message. It’s a great message to share with children, not only during this strange time but also any difficult time in their lives. It’s a message to let children (and adults) know that better times will come even if there are bad things happening now. Indeed, as the title says you can’t have a rainbow without first having some rain! For anyone going through a difficult passage, this uplifting, beautifully illustrated picture book is about finding optimism in the darkest of places. 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. We have all had to embark on a journey we didn’t expect, facing difficulty and danger, often separated from friends and loved ones. We may feel alone. But we are not. 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. They learn that, in the midst of rain, rainbows can be hard to see but, with courage and the help of good friends, there is always a way out of darkness.

I would recommend getting this picture book. 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!Inspired by Psalm 30:5, “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning,” this British import offers hope and purpose, reminding readers that waiting brings reward and sowing comes before the crop and the flower stem before blossom. . .The poetry of the text builds on the sentiment of the scripture and although it complements the illustrations, it is compelling enough to be read independently. . . An uplifting book with a timeless message—that tomorrow will be better. Such a beautiful book! The illustrations are perfect and the words can be uplifting to not only children but adults as well. 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 images start off quite dark but as the journey continues the colours brighten as the sun appears.

On Tuesday 16 March, actress Felicity Jones will read the very apt story, The Huffalots, by Eve Coy. Here a Mum wakes up her Huffalots to find they are grumpy. Eventually, with the help of a big cuddle, they become Lovealots. But it's been a long day and Mum is now grumpy and tired. It’s a good thing the Lovealots know exactly what to do. I am currently grieving and going through some other trauma. This book is a good reminder of the help and support that is there, and of hope and just of a number of things. This book came along at just the right time for me. I am very sensitive to visuals, so these are even more impacful on me than they may be for some because of my sensory issues. 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. We can overcome diseases, invent amazing new things and make the world a better place by helping animals, and helping each other.” George is the scruffiest giant in town, so he buys a new outfit to smarten himself up. On the way home, however, he meets others who are in greater need of his clothes than he is...A free eBook to raise awareness for Save the Children’s ‘Save with Stories’ campaign which is helping children most affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The rainbow has become an incredible symbol of hope and optimism during this time and we hope that this uplifting story can be a source of comfort and light to children and families, and that it inspires anyone who is able to do so, to donate to the Save with Stories campaign.

Rain Before Rainbows‘ has been released as a free ebook by the publisher Walker (before the physical release in October) to raise awareness and hopefully to help raise some money for the ‘Save With Stories’ campaign run by Save the Children charity. There are many messages that this book contains. What stands out most for me personally is the idea that the journey that the girl and her Fox friend find themselves on is obviously really tough and really scary, but they keep going. They keep holding on to hope. I completely loved that idea when I first started drawing the book all those months ago, and I absolutely love it now as I sit here writing this note. In fact, the idea of ‘Hope over Fear’ is one of the reasons the Fox looks the way it does. No matter how dark and terrifying things might get, the pattern on Fox’s fur will be a constant reminder of the light and natural beauty that exists in the world. For the past few months a lot of you have been drawing your own rainbows and displaying them on your windows. I have loved seeing some of these on my daily walks. They always remind me of all the brave people in the world. They also remind me of the Girl and her magic Fox and the journey that they had together. Hope over Fear. Rain Before Rainbows.’Drawing this book was a complete joy. The emotion that comes through Smriti’s poetic writing is really powerful and it was a very happy challenge to try and translate that visually within the illustrations. This is the most gorgeous book I have read in a long time. I may be an adult, but books like this transcend childhood. I will be sharing this book with my therapist, and discussing it! Rain Before Rainbows' is a simple rhyming picture book with a story of a girl and her fox friend who have to leave their home during a storm after a terrible fire engulfs the castle they lived in. The girl and the fox must deal with rain and storms, and a dark scary night all while journeying somewhere far away. During the journey they encounter scary creatures and a raging storm in an ocean before finally finding a new and hopeful land where there are new animal friends to meet and where eventually the night turns into a bright and wonderful new day. It's the story about how life is a long, difficult and bumpy road, you have mountains to climbed, and oceans to cross, but, there's always a rainbow after the rain.