Follow the rainbow by Juliet M. Sampson and Anne Ryan

Rainbows evoke a plethora of responses: many will have seen them after rain, some will have heard the song, Somewhere over the rainbow, some will have heard of ROYGBIV and be able to tell everyone what that means, some will be intrigued with the colours they see in a rainbow, some may know the myth of what lies at the end of a rainbow. Ideas will come thick and fast simply from the title, exciting readers before they begin. Their excitement will be fuelled as they turn the magnificently illustrated pages, showing a rainbow that fills the land with magic.

Ruby looks into the sky seeing a fairy with a wand, then a wizard with a cape but Tavish just looks and snuffles. When a few drops of rain fall, a rainbow forms. She runs for shelter and passes a scarecrow. She asks it if he knows what is at the end of the rainbow but he does not answer so Ruby tries to find someone else to answer the big question. In the shed is Metal Man, and she asks him, and getting no answer, she moves to the stable where she asks the cows, finding her lost Lion on the way. She  asks him but he has no answer either. She rushes to find the end of the rainbow and only sees the paddock, nothing unusual there. She and Tavish rush to get to the other end and find their way home. Inside the house Auntie Anne calls them to lunch and they go inside the house full of delicious warm smells. They are home. What a treasure.

The wonderful sweep of colours reflects the changing nature of the sky, with a range of clouds with different shapes, rainbows and rain falling as the girl runs between parts of the farm to find the answer to the question. An engaging adventure, children will wonder along with Ruby about the rainbow and ask questions about this phenomenon. The colours will delight younger readers, and find the collages of recycled paper intriguing. Kids will love trying this technique for themselves, working out how the rainbow can be made or the cows or the scarecrow. A delightful story of the warmth of home also shows readers the scope of a farm and the work that goes on there. And I loved the detail on each page, created with just torn paper and a wonderful imagination. Teacher's notes and activities are available from the publisher.

Themes: Family, Farms, Collage, Rainbows, Home.

Fran Knight