The Rainbow Hand

The poems in this award-winning collection celebrate the relationship between mothers and their children, with a wide variety of subjects and emotions–from a child walking in her mother’s comforting, protective shadow to a ten-year-old girl wondering if her mother was a clean freak when she was young. Here is “Mother’s Heart” “My mother’s heart / is a bottle / I want to fill with warm milk / to soothe her hurts / with honey to trap her bitterness / with a squirt of Tabasco–Shake her up!” Inspired by her memories of her mother and her own role as a mother of a young son, these poems by Wong, skillfully illustrated in full color by Jennifer Hewitson, create an honest portrait of timeless human connections. Sometimes funny, always sensitive, this collection will find a ready audience among young people, especially children and teens who are interested in writing their own poems. THE RAINBOW HAND was a Penn State / Lee Bennett Hopkins Award Honor Book and an ABA Pick of the Lists. Praise from Reviewers: “In an exquisite and moving collection of poetry, Wong explores the myriad emotions connected to the word and image of ‘mother’ . . . a gift book for children to read with adults.” – Kirkus “Like the presence of a mother’s hand, Wong’s thoughtful and reflective volume is comforting and easily accessible. The poems are solid and steady reminders of the connections between mothers and children . . . Universal love, discipline, strength, and emotion are all in evidence here.” – School Library Journal “All of [the poems] hold a kernel of truth that readers of all ages will recognize . . . Children will find their own tangled feelings here.” – Booklist