Rain Before Rainbows, by Smriti Prrasadam-Halls/Illustrated by David Litchfield, (Oct. 2020, Candlewick Press), $16.99, ISBN: 9781536212839
Ages 3-7
A rhyming story that reminds us to look for the light in the dark places, Rain Before Rainbows features a young girl and her companion fox leaving a castle, shrouded in fog. She looks back, as the two travel into the rain, and the two forge a path through the dark, across mountains, fighting the elements and their own nightmares until finally arriving at a sun-drenched wood, with new animal friends waiting to care for them. The verse is hopeful, optimistic, yet acknowledges that struggle often accompanies success: “Rain before rainbows, / Clouds before sun, / Night before daybreak, / The old day is done.” The artwork takes readers across fantastic landscapes, colorful and surreal, as the companions journey through forests, where wraithlike dragons await, and dreamlike foxes spirit them away. It’s a hopeful end to what’s been a difficult year for most, and I’m choosing it to kick off my New Year’s Eve posts in the hope that it will give some comfort to you as it has to me. A good book to have in hand when caregivers and kids ask for books on getting through tough times.
Mom Read It 