Rain Before Rainbows is a picture book by author and illustrator Smriti Prasadam-Halls. It tells the story of a young girl, Zoe, and her journey to find the courage to face difficult emotions through friendship and resilience.
Chapter One
In Chapter One, Zoe introduces her story and her struggles to cope with her emotions. She tells us how she used to smile and laugh all the time but now it seems like she can’t “mess it up.” Zoe explains she’s feeling scared and sometimes “it feels too big to let out.” This chapter serves to set the tone and introduce Zoe’s journey of discovery.
Chapter Two
In Chapter Two, Zoe decides to take a walk in the hope of getting some of her feelings out. While walking, she draws a picture of herself with big black clouds around her head to illustrate how she’s feeling. On her walk, Zoe meets another person and learns that even though it can be hard, talking help can sometimes help.
Chapter Three
In Chapter Three, Zoe and her friend from Chapter Two try to find a way to get rid of the big black clouds in Zoe’s picture. She notices a few rainbows in the sky and decides those are just the things she needs. The two go on a magical journey to search for rainbows and while they look, Zoe learns how to let out her feelings and talk to her friend about them.
Chapter Four
In Chapter Four, Zoe begins to understand that the rainbows she’s searching for aren’t going to magically appear in the sky and she has to work to find them. She learns that that can handle tough emotions with resilience and turns to her friend for support to find her way back home.
Chapter Five
In Chapter Five, Zoe and her friend reach the edge of the forest and find the source of the rainbows Zoe was searching for. She finds a wide variety of rainbows she didn’t expect and realizes that courage isn’t just one emotion but can actually be made up of many different ones. Zoe realizes that she can ask for help and be strong when she’s feeling vulnerable.
Chapter Six
In Chapter Six, Zoe is finally able to make her way back home and she reflects on her journey and the lessons she’s learned. She realizes that in order to find the courage to face difficult emotions, she must find the bravery to trust her friends, ask for help, have patience and trust that things will get better. As she reaches home, Zoe finds the courage to face what was holding her back and recognizes the power of friendship.
Rain Before Rainbows is a beautiful story about finding courage within adversity and trusting in the strength of friendship. It is an inspiring story of resilience and hope in times of struggle that will help children realize the power of friendship and courage.
