Two Rainbows

PreS-Gr 1—This Australian import is a quiet tale of making home in a new place. The nameless female protagonist is adjusting to living in the city. The girl seeks out the colors of the rainbow while still remembering the almost dreamlike colors on her expansive farm, and they feel worlds apart. The difference between the vibrant orange sunrise of the farm and the orange peel she spies in the gutter as her mother drags her through the city feel nothing alike. There is joy even in the city as she drops a letter in a red postbox all by herself. Still, it's not as vivid as the red tractor and the robin on the farm. By the time she gets to violet, she has connected these two rainbows and they feel more like one. McMahon creates the alternating views in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, which gives the humans a somewhat geometric feel, but a layer of texture softens some of their edges and the harsher realities of the city. The various shades of black, white, and gray accurately call to mind the concrete jungle. Thought was given to every detail, from the title font in each color of the rainbow to the hue of a dragonfly. A thick band of white space appears at the bottom of each page, making a consistent home for the text. The whole book feels well designed and purposeful.