Rainbows in the Dark

"Rainbows in the Dark" was a very wholesome story about a girl's positive encounter/friendship with a woman that can't see. Abby comes across Joanna in a clothing store with her service dog, Charlie. Abby is very interested in her dog and how she lives her life without eyesight. She helps Joanna pick out fancy clothes for her music recital that she invites Abby and her mom to. I thoroughly enjoyed the figurative language in the book and the consistency of rainbows in the illustrations. The book effectively teaches children that people with blindness are just like the average person, and everyone has great talents and lessons to teach. The illustrations are very bright and aesthetically pleasing. The more complex writing and concepts show more make it suitable for older kids, probably 3rd-5th grade. The point-of-view of Abby helps the readers identify with her curiosity and subsequent findings on people with blindness. show less

In my opinion this is an excellent book and teaches children that nothing, not even a disability, can hold you back from your dreams. The book pushes readers to broaden their perspective on the blind and their capability to succeed. Initially in the story, the main character helps a blind women pick out an outfit. The writing during this portion of the story is very engaging because the main character compares the color of each article of clothing to something. For example, the main character says "purple like violets," "dirty snow," "blue and black like the night sky," and "green and purple like peacock feathers." These analogies create a picture in the reader and the blind woman's mind of what the articles of clothing look like. By show more the end of the book, the main character attends a big concert, only to find that the blind women she helped out in the store is the star, leading to the big idea that nothing can hold you back from achieving your dream. show less

I would give this book three to three and a half stars out of five. I think that the major redeeming quality of the book is that it maintains an authentic child’s perspective and voice throughout. The main character of the story, Abby, often speaks in ways that reflect child-like curiosity and some initial discomfort towards people who are different. For example, when Abby meets, Joanna, and learns that Joanna is blind, she readily and unabashedly asks questions like “how come you’re wearing sunglasses?”. I also like that this book portrays authentic childlike reactions as Abby frequently forgets and then quickly remembers that Joanna cannot see. For example, Abby points to her mother and says “that’s my mom over there”, show more before quickly remembering and stating out loud that “Oh…I guess you can’t see her though.” I also liked that this book showed a person with visual impairments living a productive and happy life. For example, I think it was important that Abby learned that even though Joanna cannot see, she still has an interest in fashion and music, and can be the star of the show. That people with disabilities can have varied interests and passions that they pursue with success is ultimately the “big idea” of this book, and is a positive message for all young readers. My only wish is that in another story, I get to read a story from Joanna’s perspective. show less

Rainbows in the Dark is a delightful story because it relays the message that judging by first glance you cannot always tell someone's background. A little girl shopping in a store with her mother sees a woman looking for clothes. She also sees that she has a dog and decides to talk to her. The story promotes a sense of awareness about your surroundings and understanding how people react. In the end, the girl and lady that is blind strike up a friendship. The story does a great job at depicting what it's like to meet someone with a disability and how they should not be treated differently. They are human beings too. The illustrations are colorful and grasp the concepts of each page.

I enjoyed this book for many reasons. The descriptive language used in this book really adds to the reader's experience, as Coates creates beautiful imagery to her audience.One example of this is when Abby describes a pair of shoes to Joanna, a blind woman, "They're like peacock feathers- all green and purple and gold and black." This example shows how well Coates captures the details of the shoes, heightening the mental images of the shoes for the reader and for Joanna. Something else that contributed to my positive review of the book is how the illustrations in the book enhance the messages conveyed. One example of this is the colorful, whimsical swirls coming from Joanna's cello as she plays in a concert, showing the beauty of her show more music. Along with this illustration, Coates says, "A bewitching mix of music and color bellowed up, filling ever corner of the enormous concert hall." This book is also relatable due to the believable characters and realistic plot. Abby is portrayed as a normal young girl, and Joanna an exceptional blind musician. This book does a great job at conveying an important "bigger picture" message; that disabilities cannot stop you from reaching your full potential. Joanna embodies this as she does not allow her visual impairment to stop her from doing things that everyone else can; like shop and play cello. show less

I liked this book for many reasons. The illustrations in the book fit the title and main idea very well. The pages are all filled with beautiful colors and many illustrations. The language was also very age appropriate and made the story easier to understand. The plot was also well written and lead up to a very good ending. It surprised readers when the blind woman ended up being the concert the little girls family was going to see. I also really enjoyed the topic that this book introduced to young readers. Sometimes it is hard for young children to relate to people who are blind. This book shows some of the difficulties people face when they are blind. In the story, the woman can not see the clothes she is shopping for and does not show more know their colors either. This story shows the reader the everyday struggles this woman must overcome and how the kindness from a stranger makes a big difference. show less

I really liked this book a lot. It is about a girl who meets a woman who is blind in a clothing store. The girl at first does not know that the woman is blind until the woman says that her dog is a seeing eye dog. After this the girl helps the woman find clothes for a special event and during this time the girl learns more about the women and what it is like to be blind.

I loved how this author wrote this story from a child's perspective because children do not know about some things like being deaf or blind unless they have grown up with it in their lives. I liked how this book showed that children are naturally curious and they don't hesitate with their questions. I think this is much like children in our society. The ask questions show more first and think last. But by asking these questions the girl in the book was better able to understand the situation that the woman lives with.

I really loved the illustrations in this book. They are very colorful and they compliment the story very well. I also really liked the ending of the book as well. The author and illustrator really worked well together in order to make both the pictures and words work together. I wasn't sure how the title fit in the book but by the end everything made sense. I really liked this book and would recommend it to everyone. show less