About the Holiday

Today’s holiday was established by Food for Health International to encourage people to take a holistic approach to taking care of themselves, benefitting not only their bodies but their emotional health as well. Celebrating all that life has to offer and taking time out from work to enjoy time with family and friends goes a long way towards greater happiness and health. The events of this past year have prompted all of us to find new ways to spend time together, help each other, find comfort, and celebrate successes and good times. Today I’m celebrating the Book Birthday of a moving reminder that there are always better days ahead. 

There Is a Rainbow

Written by Theresa Trinder | Illustrated by Grant Snider

 

As two children add the finishing touches to their rainbow chalk drawing—clouds at both ends—Theresa Trinder’s tender story opens with “A story has a beginning and an end.” And just like the ends of a rainbow, every story has “something in between.” The girl and boy say goodbye, and the boy heads down the block to his house.

The girl sits on her front stoop and watches the rain fall and the colors of their rainbow flow into each other on the wet sidewalk. She goes inside and picks up her computer, where “on the other side of [her] screen” are her classmates. She waves at them and smiles while she does her work. At home, the boy begins painting stripes on the windows—stripes that form another rainbow for all the neighbors to share.

Later the boy crosses the street to put a letter into the mailbox—a letter that connects him to his grandma across town. Night falls, and the girl cuddles a stuffed rabbit as she looks at a photo of the friends she misses. But “on the other side of sadness,” the girl knows as she seeks out her mom, “there are hugs.” A rainy day brings the boy and girl together again as they race down the sidewalk toward each other and stop to see that in a puddle “there is a rainbow.”

Theresa Trinder’s lovely book, written at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic that altered the way we interact with others, is a reassuring reminder for children, and adults as well, that they are not alone and that better days do lie ahead. Through her spare text, Trinder allows even very young children to make the clear connection between a barrier and a bond or a challenge and a solution. Trinder’s inspirational storytelling includes concrete concepts that will resonate with kids, such as using a computer or looking out of a window to embrace their world of neighbors, friends, and the familiar, as well as more abstract ideas that will broaden their understanding of the promise that exists. She includes both a river and a mountain, two objects that can seem mysterious or insurmountable, and reveals that even these lead to hopeful possibilities. A poignant and meaningful book to share during these times, Trinder’s story also promises uplifting assurance any time it is needed.

Grant Snider’s scribbled childlike illustrations are moving reflections of the lead kids took in responding to the pandemic lockdowns as well as their seemingly infinite capacity for optimism and resilience. Readers will respond to Snider’s vivid rainbow hues and images that are as current as distance learning and rainbows in windows and as comforting as playing with friends, talking with loved ones, and helping neighbors. Kids will like pointing out all of the actual rainbows and messages of hope in the illustrations as well as discovering how the promise of rainbows can be found in the colors all around them.

A superb and timely book to read and discuss with children, There is a Rainbow offers comfort, understanding, and hope when it’s needed most. The book is highly recommended for home, classroom, and public library collections.

Ages 4 – 7

Chronicle Books, 2021 | ISBN 978-1797211664

Discover more about Theresa Trinder and her books on her website.

To learn more about Grant Snider, his books, and his art visit his website.

Meet Theresa Trinder

Theresa Trinder spent a decade at Hallmark Cards, where she wrote and edited children’s books. She has also developed literacy curricula and has an MFA in Poetry. She was inspired to write this book by the rainbows made by her family during the COVID-19 Shelter in Place in Greenlawn, New York.

Hi Theresa! Congratulation on your Book Birthday today! I’m excited to get a chance to talk with you today about your beautiful book. 

There Is a Rainbow is an especially comforting story for all that kids are going through right now as well as being reassuring for any time. Can you talk a little about how this story came to be?

In short—the rainbows. When I started writing, New York was in a bad place. Everyone was either suffering or afraid. Or both. We’d just said goodbye to my mom and dad, not sure when we were going to see them again, and my kids didn’t get it. They were so incredibly sad. And there were (and still are) so many families going through so much worse. But then, these beautiful rainbows started popping up everywhere. A neighbor friend drew a message for my son on our driveway. And kids everywhere were making signs for health care and essential workers, thanking them and cheering them on. With all our kids were going through themselves, they just kept lifting everyone else up. To me, kids are the heroes of this moment, and, to me, that’s what the book is really about.

As someone who writes in various genres and who has achieved the goal of becoming a published author, can you briefly describe your journey? Did you write as a child and always want to have a career in writing, or did your interest in writing come later?

I’ve always loved books, and I’ve always loved writing. I’ve always had to earn a living, though, too—so my path to publication was a little winding. But I’ve somehow managed to always have books in my life. I started as an intern in the Scholastic book clubs, then moved on to educational publishing, then into the Books division at Hallmark Cards. Over the years I’ve gotten to make all kinds of books for all kinds of readers. But I stopped working full time when my second child was born, and I realized: if I want to make books now, I’m going to have to write them myself. Which was sort of freeing—and sort of terrifying. But here we are!

What does it mean for you as an author to give families a way to share their love and encouragement not only in There Is a Rainbow but also in the books you wrote for Hallmark Books—All the Ways I Love You, I’m Thankful for You, and interactive board books Hello, Baby!, Look, Baby! and Peekaboo, Baby!

I don’t know about There Is a Rainbow yet. When it’s out there in the world, I hope it does give families a way to connect—and a way to feel hopeful about what’s to come. And it’s my first trade publication, so it’s very exciting. And the board books are fun. It’s so amazing to see tiny baby fingers try to figure things out. But All the Ways I Love You was a one-of-a-kind experience. Hallmark developed a technology that allowed someone to record their own voice reading, then play it back as a child turned the pages. And we got so many letters from so many people, telling us things like “My husband is deployed overseas but now he ‘reads’ to our daughter every night” and “My mom recently lost her battle with cancer but left her grandson this book, and it’s helping to keep her memory alive.” You can’t really get much closer to people than that. To me, that’s everything.

It’s so true that those cozy moments with a book are unforgettable bonding experiences. Can you talk a little about how important it is for children to be read to often?

What does the data say? Kids need to hear something like 20,000 words per day? And they can’t all be “No,” “Shh,” “Get off the table,” “Please don’t eat that,” etc? So, yes, books are an excellent way to fill the gap, especially on days when you just…can’t. Which I think all parents are feeling right now.

Grant Snider’s illustrations for There Is a Rainbow are so wonderfully distinctive. Can you share a little about Grant was chosen to illustrate the book? What were your first thoughts when you began to see his illustrations? Did they undergo many changes? How was the cover chosen?

I’m not privy to the whole process but Grant literally brought all the color to this book. The text is purposely pretty spare, and he created the visual story arc. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll just say it was really neat to see his thought process—how he created these characters and brought them full circle at the end.

The books you’ve written give families an opportunity to share fun and thoughtful moments together. How has your own family supported you in your writing career?

I had—and still do have—the kind of parents who always said you can be whatever you want to be. Though I do remember my mom telling me to “Stop reading and go outside” every now and then, which was annoying at the time but is actually pretty good advice. My husband and kids are the same way. We’re just…really busy at home these days. It’s hard to carve out the time, but I think everyone reading this right now can probably say the same. (Though I’m super grateful they’re spending their precious little time reading this interview!)

In your bio, you say two of your favorite things is hearing a funny joke and making weird faces. It sounds as if you have an ear and eye for humor. Does your sense of humor influence your writing? Would you like to share a favorite joke?

Ha! I’m quite deadpan, actually. But my kids have been practicing telling jokes, so we have been laughing a lot—but mostly because they tend to botch them a bit. For example, “How do you make a tissue dance?” (Long pause) “You put a little burger in it!” Hahaha, see what I mean?

HaHa! That’s so great! I miss those days in my own house!

What’s the best thing about being a children’s writer?

For me, it’s being able to do the thing I love. So few people actually do, so I know how rare and amazing it actually is. I feel grateful every day.

What’s up next for you?

Piles of laundry, probably. But after that I hope to get back to a picture book I’m working on. I recently scrapped the latest and started from scratch—which I needed to do, but then I needed to walk away from it for a few weeks. I think it’s safe to go back now.

Thanks, Theresa for talking with me today—it’s been a joy! I wish you all the best with There Is a Rainbow and all of your books. 

You can connect with Theresa Trinder on

Her website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

There is a Rainbow Giveaway

I’m thrilled to be teaming up with Chronicle Books in a giveaway of

• One (1) copy of There is a Rainbow, written by Theresa Trinder| illustrated by Grant Snider

To Enter:

• Follow Celebrate Picture Books
• Retweet a giveaway tweet
• Reply with something you celebrated this week for extra entry

This giveaway is open from January 26 through February 1 and ends at 8:00 p.m. EST.

A winner will be chosen on February 2. 

Giveaway open to U.S. addresses only. | Prizing provided by Chronicle Books

Celebration of Life Month Activity

Mini Rainbow Magnet

 

If you’d like to see a rainbow every day, you can make this mini rainbow to hang on your fridge or in your room.

Supplies

• 7 mini popsicle sticks
• Paint in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, Indigo, violet (ROYGBIV)
• Adhesive magnet
• OR: ribbon, string, or fishing line
• A little bit of polyfill. Cotton balls can also be used
• Paint brush
• Glue or hot glue gun

Directions

1. Paint one popsicle stick in each color, let dry
2. Glue the popsicle sticks together side by side in the ROYGBIV order, let dry
3. Fluff a bit of polyfill into a cloud shape and glue to the top of the row of popsicle sticks
4. Attach the magnet to the back of the rainbow
5. OR: attach ribbon, string, or fishing line to make a rainbow hanging

You can find There is a Rainbow at these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

Bookshop | IndieBound

Picture Book Review