I Am a Rainbow by Dolly Parton, Heather Sheffield (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

Have you ever been tickled pink? Green with envy? Or just plain blue? Well, it's good to know that we all have a rainbow of feelings inside.

Beloved music legend Dolly Parton provides children with a fun way to talk about their feelings in this colorful, upbeat picture book. And by understanding their own feelings, they can learn to respect the feelings of others.

I Am a Rainbow will encourage children of all ages to acknowledge their feelings and take control.

Publishers Weekly

Parton's name appears in large sparkly letters on the jacket, a telling hint that little subtlety lies within. Playing on the premise that like the natural world, "each boy and girl/ Is made of colors too," cartoon kids express their feelings as colors. Their singsong rhymes are largely forced: "When I'm tickled PINK,/ It means I'm feeling dandy./ Everything is great and/ As sweet as cotton candy." The book sticks to traditional interpretations-an angry child sees red and a jealous one feels green. After concluding with a message about acting "through love" no matter how one is feeling, Parton offers a parting missive, noting that as a child she discovered how to see an uplifting rainbow every day: "all I had to do was reach up and pull that rainbow right out of the sky and place it in my heart." Her metaphorical advice to "let that rainbow out of your heart and watch it jump back into the sky!" is both saccharine and puzzling. Sheffield's gaudy, digitally created graphics only amplify the performer's bouncy tenor, which approaches a grating pitch. Ages 3-5. (May)

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2—This eye-catching picture book is all Dolly: big, bright, and shiny on the outside, sweet as Southern tea on the inside. Through straightforward (and only slightly forced) rhyme, readers are introduced to the idea that colors make up the world around them and can be used to describe their emotional landscape as well. "When I'm tickled PINK,/It means I'm feeling dandy./Everything is great and/As sweet as cotton candy." The comparisons are predictable: red/angry, green/jealous, blue/sad, but suit the intended audience. Parton also encourages empathy ("So remember as you go/from hue to hue/That each and every person/Has feelings too") and self-control ("It's not/always up to you,/The way that you feel./But/how you act,/Is a different deal")—important concepts for this age group. Sheffield's bold, digitally rendered illustrations match the cheery simplicity of the message and the slightly flat, didactic text. This book radiates the author's good intentions and is sure to be appreciated at storytime.—Piper Nyman, Brookmeade Elementary School, Nashville, TN

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