What Is A Rainbow?

Just Ask

by Chris Arvetis, Carole Palmer, James Buckley Jr. (Illustrator)

Using illustrations and a simple, easy-to-read text, this book explains what a rainbow is and how such phenomena are created

Genres: Science, Picture Books, Childrens, Education, Nonfiction

31 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1983

Reviews

[AngieA Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so glad I kept these books after the children grew up and brought back grandchildren! I have a set of 36 "Just Ask" books that answer all sorts of questions like "What Is a Rainbow" or "Why Do Leaves Change Color." These books have colorful illustrations and are hosted by a field mouse called Christopher. He and his animal friends find the answers to science questions and they are explaned well for K-2nd graders but are not dumbed down. In the "Leaves" book,the word chlorophyll is used and the light/carbon dioxide to chlorophyll/oxygen cycle is explained and illustrated. My children enjoyed these books and I still refer to them now. Most recently to remind myself that it is shorter days, not cooler temperatures, that result in the fall colors. I was thinking of sending one or two of them to my granddaughter and got to thinking about buying a second set for the other family. It would take a substantial investment and none of the sets for sale had 36 volumes! I guess I'll keep them at Nana's house for now and they can read them when they visit. Featured this month: "...Rainbows" and "...Leaves..." since those have been topics of conversation. I'll mix them up accordingly in the future. If you happen to see these at 2nd hand stores or yard/garage sales, don't fail to pick up the volumes you may not have! You won't regret it.

[Erin Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book as a child, and think it is a great one for children interested in science.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mouse wonders what a rainbow is and asks his friend, Parrot, if he knows. Parrot isn't sure but instructs him to ask Beaver who goes on to explain how water droplets are like a prism. He uses an actual prism in the beginning to show him his example. Light is then bent and that's what creates what we see as the colors of the rainbow. It's a pretty good little explanation for younger elementary age children and the book is definitely old school (1983) That's really not old! but the book seems old-fashioned. Simple, yet not full of much more information.

[Kelsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a pretty outdated book but it isn’t too bad. The book had lots of good information in it, but I wonder if some of the difficult vocabulary words would be too much for children. It sort of walks the fine line between exposing kids to big words to help them learn accurate terms and overexposing them to big words which will confuse them and go over their heads. It all depends on what age the child reader is, but the characters and setup of the story make it seem like the book is for very young readers.

[Michael Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one! Especially the illustrations. It was very colorful and would be pleasing to young children. I also enjoyed how the writer broke down into simple terms how a rainbow can be created. He explained the creation of a rainbow through a prism, waterfall, and rain drops. He explained that when sunlight passes through these things, the light is bent and forms the colors of the spectrum.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book as a child! I had the whole series. (Sadly, they were lost in a basement flood.) Great books for kids to learn science!

[Lissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells how rainbows are made in a fun and exciting way. Who would of thought that sun and water could produce such beautiful colors, and what is even more interesting is that the colors are always in the same order. This is what you see when a rainbow appears; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo blue, and violet. This book is part of a series called A Just Ask Book, which has many more adventures with Christopher the Mouse.


Learning Experience:
I did this experiment in Practicum, and it is making your own rainbow. What you need is a sunny day, a glass of water 3/4 full, and a white sheet of paper. First, take the glass of water and the paper to a well sunlit part of the room, by a window is best. Hold the glass of water above the paper and watch as sunlight passes through the glass of water, refracts(bends) and forms a rainbow of colors on the paper. To extend this experiment hold the glass at different heights and angles to see the different effects. This is a fun way for children to actually visualize how rainbows are made and to see the order of the colors.

[Siskiyou-Suzy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not totally sure I had this as a child -- I feel like I had a book about prisms, and I know I had another of these. But judging it as an adult...

It's really repetitive. And it kinda just gives the basic facts -- a rainbow is from light bending and raindrops bend light -- over and over again without any deeper explanation. Maybe anything deeper would be confusing. But the reputation was kinda annoying.

[Stephanie]

This was my favourite book as a child. Now as a preservice teacher, I would like to add this book and perhaps the whole series to my future classroom. If anyone knows of a website I can view this book or buy these books, please let me know.

[Charlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story teaches about rainbows. When I finished the story, I realized this doesn't only give us facts about rainbows but its also like a fictional storybook. This tells me that this is a teensy weensy little bit like The Magic School Bus.

[Partridge Public]

Arvetis, Chris/Palmer,Carole

[Val · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Just Ask Book. Great series of non fiction books for children who want to understand their world. This one deals with rainbows.

[Cws]

JENF-Arv

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jan Marshall: colors, glorious, colors...even though we know how, now, it is still beautiful, more beautiful...

[Abi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a basic Kindergarten or FIrst grade appropriate book about rainbows. It teaches children how a rainbow is made and the different colors that make one up.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute story that give accurate information about the ontological nature of a rainbow.