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Award

Preferred Choice Award from Creative Child Magazine

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The Story

Birds have their legends just like people do, and baby birds love to hear the stories. Papa Cardinal, whose job it is to pass down bird ways to his chicks, tells them the story of how birds gave the world the rainbow. It's a tale of fun and squabbles and magic!

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My Inspiration

I got the inspiration for A Rainbow of Birds one afternoon when the rain had just stopped and I heard the birds going wild with their singing! What could they be so happy about? That's when the idea came to me to have them create a rainbow—one of the most magical and joyful things I know. At that time, I had been doing lots of research about birds and also about legends for other projects that I was working on. So the joyful singing of the birds, combined with the bird and legend research rattling around in my brain, led to this original bird legend!

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Educational Connections

Imagination, creativity, legends, the rainbow, what causes a rainbow

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Four pages of indoor and outdoor rainbow activities at end of book

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Reviews

"Told as a cardinal bird legend . . . 'A Rainbow of Birds' appeals to children's sense of immediate magic and discovery of the beauty in nature."—Midwest Book Review 

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"At the end of the book Janet has added four pages of "Rainbow Facts and Fun" that are like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Suggestions for activities include how to make a rainbow outdoors, how to make a rainbow indoors, how to make a rainbow book, and much more. The ideas, facts, and suggestion are more than enough to keep a group of young children occupied on a rainy afternoon."—Wrapped in Foil

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"It's a twitter of color and fun for everyone."—4 the Love of Books

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