On Top of the Rainbow
By K-Trina Meador
My Thoughts:
Five-year-old Gabe is given a toy airplane from his Papa that morning and accidentally breaks it. Upset about it, and afraid to tell his family that he broke it, he chooses to run away from home into the forest behind their home. There he meets a leprechaun and a unicorn and learns an important lesson or two.
I thought this was a lovely imaginary story with beautiful and quirky magical creatures. I liked that the leprechaun was different than how we typically picture them and that he did not immediately assume that Gabe was one of those boys that steal other people’s belongings. (Though I suppose one could assume that the way he asked the question could have sounded like he scared him into saying he wasn’t.)
The thought that family is the best thing above anything else on earth is a very important lesson. Whatever individual’s one’s family is comprised of, family is important, not the things that we own, for as Gabe discovered in his thinking about it, those things are gone in a flash. Family sticks around.
I liked too, that Gabe had to make a choice either to go forward to the other side of the rainbow and risk losing his family or to turn back and return to them as a sure thing. I think there is a lesson in that too. Whatever happens to us, we have made choices to get us where we are.
When Gabe is found by his family, they express the anxiety that any parent or guardian feels when their child disappears for even a short time. Hopefully that message also gets across to the child too of how much their family loves them and would be worried and fearful if he or she ever ran away.
The pictures were line drawings intermingled with vibrantly coloured drawings. They were very beautiful to look at.
I thought that At the Top of the Rainbow made good use of imaginary creatures in this story to teach the child aged 3 to 8 about how important family is and how running away doesn’t solve our problems. I gave this book 4 stars out of 5. I think it is a nice addition to any family library with young children.
Thank you to the author for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.
About the Author:
Born in Jacksonville, Florida and raised in Texas since she was four years old,K-Trina Meador is the youngest of five children. Growing up in Cross Plains, Texas, and being raised on a seventy acre farm gives her an appreciation for country life and the small town community. She has two grown sons.
She enjoys hiking, snorkeling, scuba diving, photography and aviation. She is currently traveling from state to state working as an aircraft mechanic and author. Current locations include: Hawaii, Georgia, South Carolina, and, currently, Oklahoma
