On Top of the Rainbow by K. Meador
When you pick up a kids book there are really two audiences that you have to be aware of—the parents and the kids. I’ve divided this blog into two sections for these respective audiences so that we cover all the audiences involved.On Top of the Rainbow for Adults
The aspects of a book that make it “really good” are the plot, character development, or really juicy twists you didn’t see coming, but for kid’s books the main concern is the overall message that the book will instill upon the child who is hearing or reading the book. With this in mind I would say that the values that the author is highlighting in this book is the importance of family. Family is the number one thing in the main characters life and this value is pushed throughout the book, it even includes furbabies as part of the family too.On Top of the Rainbow for Kids
For kids, a book needs to have more than just strong family values. A book needs to have character development & growth, good illustrations, and an interesting plot to keep them interested. This book has all these things and more. One thing I liked about this book for young audiences is that the plot was simple and the motives of the characters were apparent. (I think that a lot of books try to write in super complicated characters or motives to prove a bigger point that isn’t apparent, but that conversation is for another time). I also liked that the story had a couple of mythological creatures that were concerned for the protagonist’s overall well-being. A lot of times when people write about mythological creatures they are usually the tricksters in the plot, which gives kids scary ideas about what could be out there—but this is not the case. Not only will kids definitely pick up the idea that family is an important part of life, but there is also conflict resolution that kids can relate to. The pictures were one of my favorite parts too—so pretty.Overall, I think that this book is a really good choice for kids. It's a well written, wholesome book that is easy to follow for kids while also showing them the importance of family. It also has enough fun imagery and plot to keep kids interested in what is going on without being distracted by outside sources. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who has a young kid in their life who loves to read.
You can purchase On Top of the Rainbow or any other of K. Meador's books from her amazon page.