“Look!” said Little Rabbit. “It stopped raining.” “Yes,” said Mama Rabbit. “Soon we’ll see a rainbow.”

What Makes a Rainbow?

My firstborn son has always loved rainstorms. Ever since he could crawl, as soon as it would start to rain, he’d go to our glass door to watch it. I’d crack it open just a bit so he could hear and smell the fresh raindrops. Now that he’s older, he runs outside to play in the rain or he goes in his tree house to enjoy the view. The only thing better than a watching a rainstorm is waiting for the rainbow to appear afterwards.

Introducing Our Featured Friend: What Makes a Rainbow?
by Betty Schwartz, Illustrated by Dona Turner

Little Rabbit and his mother were sitting under a big flower petal.
“Look!” said Little Rabbit. “It stopped raining.”
“Yes,” said Mama Rabbit. “Soon we’ll see a rainbow.”
“What makes a rainbow?” asked Little Rabbit.
“Why don’t you ask your friends,” said Mama Rabbit.

So, Little Rabbit begins his quest to find the answer to “What makes a rainbow?”. His first stop is to his friend, Ladybug. While gently closing her RED wings, she responds, “You need RED to make a rainbow.” (As you turn each page, the next color of ribbon is added).

Next, Little Rabbit visits Mr. Fox. He answers, “You need ORANGE to make a rainbow.”
Little Chick says,” YELLOW“; Mr. Grasshoper responds, “GREEN“; Bluebird and Beetle respond, “BLUE and INDIGO“; and finally Butterfly, “spreading her delicate PURPLE wings” declares, “You need PURPLE to make rainbow.”

As you turn the final page, a lovely rainbow pops up from the book:

“Well” said Mama Rabbit to Little Rabbit, “now you know what makes a rainbow:
RAIN, COLORS- Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Purple and  . . .
SUNSHINE!” 

 This Magic Ribbon Book is captivating, memorable, and one that you will read over and over again with each child. Eight years later, my son still gets excited about playing in the rain, searching for the rainbow, and remembering God’s promises. Each rainbow we discover brings magical moments to our family, and when there is no rainbow outside, we have this special book to remind us of what makes a rainbow!

Inviting You to Become FRIENDS with What Makes a Rainbow?:
Feel, Relate, Imagine, Explore, Navigate, Develop, Share

Select a couple of questions and activities to do with your kids or class:

F- How do you feel when it rains? Does the dreary weather make you feel tired, weary and sad or do you feel excited to see and hear the rain and maybe even play in it?

R- Can you relate to Little Rabbit’s curiosity about wanting to know where something like a rainbow comes from? What do you want to learn more about? Maybe you want to know the origins of one of the natural wonders or a man-made invention.

I- Imagine that you could go to the end of a rainbow. The legend says there’s a pot of gold at the end. What treasure would you want to find?

E- Explore colorful crafts including how to paint a perfect rainbow:

N- Navigate through the colors of the rainbow by making a Jell-O rainbow mold. We made this dessert as a family and loved it. Simply, do one color at a time, allowing about one and a half hours to chill before pouring the next Jell-O color layer.
*When serving the rainbow Jello-O, put it on a blue plate and make clouds with whip topping. You can even put rainbow sprinkles on your plate for rainbow-raindrops!

D- Develop some rainbow ideas by checking out these cool colorful games and crafts:

S- Share your favorite picture of a rainbow or draw one!

Illustrations from Our Feature Friend:

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