Coloring the Rainbow: A Story about the Power of Connection

by Catherine Rose, Jeffrey Dale (Illustrator)

Overview

Coloring the Rainbow: The Power of Connection tells a story of the magic created when the unique talents of a diverse group of children are shared in a colorful adventure.

The adventure begins when we see through a boy's window to find a young trombonist, pausing his practicing, to wonder if other musical voices exist. When an alluring treble note wafts through his window, he begins an excited quest to find the answer. Playing his horn through his neighborhood, the boy draws other curious children to play their unique instruments along with him.

Together, they played:
"Lend your voice, play your part!
Something grand is beginning—
join us for the start!"

The procession of music makers is touched with magic when their combined voices, raised in harmony, orchestrate a colorful miracle.

The ease of poetry and vibrant illustrations make this book a perfect keepsake for any gift-giver wishing to explore the values of diversity and inclusion with young, loved ones.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781643436371
Publisher:	Beaver's Pond Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	08/08/2023
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	6 - 7 Years

About the Author

Catherine Rose is enjoying that time of life when one thinks about creating a legacy. What are the lessons learned from living this adventure called life that would benefit the health and well-being of generations to follow?

As a pediatric nurse with advanced degrees in public health and holistic nursing, Catherine began writing therapeutic stories to empower children to cope effectively with illness or injury. Her present stories weave tales that continue to support children to become the best versions of themselves: confident, resilient, and empathic.

She writes from the back porch of her log home, inspired by the backdrop of Mount Jefferson in North Carolina. Married to her high school sweetheart, she enjoys being on perpetual recess with her two grandchildren, who love having a story read to them, particularly one written by Nana.

Jeffrey Dale turned a part-time job at a small print shop into full-time employment in artistic design, when a career in professional soccer wasn't in the cards. Jeff took his first step toward artistic design after his boss, knowing that he had a background in art, asked him to design a logo for a client. That introduction led to the discovery of his true passion and motivated an education in the design world of Washington, DC. His wide scope of interest and talent inspires him to design and build just about anything one can conceive of creating, including this, his debut children's book.

Jeff is the founder of Dale Design, situated within the thriving design community of Raleigh, North Carolina, where he lives with his wife and two grown children.

Editorial Reviews

08/28/2023

Rose’s touching picture book for young children focuses on the value of connecting with people from all walks of life. The story opens with a little boy who had always been content playing his trombone alone in his room—until one day he begins to wonder whether other sounds could improve his song. One day he hears through his window “a sound high and sweet” that complements his low notes, so he ventures outdoors and starts blowing his horn. He soon attracts a variety of instruments—a piccolo, a Scottish bagpipe, a Korean janggu, French horns—and the kids learn in the best way that “making music together was a joy to discover.”

Anyone who has truly gotten lost in a song knows that music can be transcendent, so it seems natural that the children in this happenstance band soon begin shooting colors from their instruments. The soulful hues travel skyward and “with each single instrument playing its part, a rainbow had formed from the song of each heart.” As a universal symbol of love and acceptance, the rainbow speaks strongly to the power of art in helping people foster connections that transcend all differences. This will give young people and adults the chance to reflect on the importance of community and where they find meaning in their own lives.

Dale’s illustrations are one of this book’s biggest strengths, with the vibrant images showing a familiar yet idealized world where magic can happen. Most pictures show children carrying instruments happily joining the band, with many skin tones, hair colors, and physical abilities represented to help readers feel seen and included. The perspective of many images is intentionally distorted as though in a dream, serving as a reminder that these scenes are an aspirational version of reality. Ultimately this sweet story will show kids everyone plays a role in creating unique and multifaceted experiences.

Takeaway: Inspiring story of children from all walks of life discovering the joy of making music.

Comparable Titles: Rhonda Gowler Greene’s This Magical, Musical Night, David Weinstone’s Music Class Today!

Production grades Cover: A- Design and typography: A Illustrations: A Editing: A Marketing copy: A

BookLife Reviews

2023-07-31
An old man asks a little boy to imagine kids creating the colors of the rainbow in Rose’s picture book.

The pair sit together on a park bench under a tree, and the man tells a story about another boy and his trombone. The child happily plays alone, but one day, a sweet, high-pitched sound wafts through his window, melding with his low notes and creating a new sound. The boy, inspired, takes his trombone out into his brownstone-lined neighborhood. First, he meets a girl with a piccolo. As they play music together, neighborhood children join in with a bagpipe, French horns, guitars, and a clarinet. Dale’s colorful illustrations show diverse kids with various skin tones playing in harmony, including a girl in a wheelchair with a Korean janggu drum. As they enter a park, their notes magically create different colored ribbons that rise to form a rainbow. The narration is arranged in evenly metered ABCB rhyming quatrains, and the singsong effect evokes the story’s musical theme. Rose introduces the metaphor of different instruments’ sounds representing each child’s voice early on: “This beautiful voice, / a new instrument’s sound, / moved the boy to declare: / ‘Every voice must be found!’” However, the central story stands well on its own without the framing of the old man’s retelling.

A well-told tale of the magic of making music.

Kirkus Reviews