Ava and the Rainbow (Who Stayed): A Picture Book About Friendship and Learning to Value Rare Things for Kids

by Ged Adamson

From the author-illustrator of Shark Dog!, Ged Adamson, comes this beautiful story about the power of friendship between a young girl and a very special rainbow.

The rain had stopped and the sun was coming out. And Ava knew that meant one thing…A RAINBOW!

And not just any rainbow—this was the most beautiful rainbow Ava had ever seen. She wished that it could stay up in the bright sky forever. When the rainbow was still there the next day, and the next day, Ava realized it was true—the rainbow had decided to stay! Everyone loved the rainbow as much as Ava. And she was happy.

But when people start to lose interest in the rainbow, Ava learns that sometimes the rare and special things in life are the most valuable and precious of all.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Storytime, Fiction, Friendship, Nature, Juvenile

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Ged Adamson is a British picture-book author and artist. He has worked as a cartoonist, a storyboard artist, and a composer for television and film. He grew up in Liverpool and now lives in London with his partner, Helen, and their son, Rex.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young Ava learns a lesson in why it's sometimes a good thing that "rare and precious" visitors don't overstay their welcome.



I wonder if this would work my mother-in-law . . .

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ava is adorable, and I love the pictures of her town and how the trees are included. The artistic style is nice. The story is too, plus it's colorful. What's there not to like?

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately the rainbow's face falls into the gutter in a few places.

[Baby Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!

Hello, friends! Our book today is Ava And The Rainbow (Who Stayed) by Ged Adamson, the story of a little girl and a very colorful friend.

After the rain, Ava runs to the hill; she is hoping to see a rainbow. And indeed, one is there – the most beautiful rainbow Ava’s ever seen. Returning home, she wishes that the rainbow could stay, and dreams all night that it could. When she wakes the next morning, she finds her dream has come true: the rainbow is still there, day and night, sunshine and rain. The town is sent into a tizzy, with visitors coming from far and wide, souvenirs being sold in shops, and events taking place under the rainbow’s arch. But as time goes by, the rainbow becomes commonplace, ignored and even disrespected by everyone but Ava. It decides that perhaps it is time to leave, and Ava is broken-hearted. But when the rain comes again, her friend is back, and she welcomes it with the songs and stories they shared from that very first day.

I confess, I didn’t quite understand the message of this one the first time around. After some thought, however, my interpretation is that it’s a comment on the fickle nature of popularity – the rainbow is honored and beloved when it’s a novelty, then quickly dropped as people’s attention moves on. Except of course for Ava, the rainbow’s one true friend – she understands when it is ready to do what’s right for itself, and is there for it when it comes back, the only person who shows genuine concern and support. And this is a wonderful lesson for little ones – friends are the ones who stay long after the fairweather followers have left. The cartoonish art is joyful, wry and colorful, and an absolute delight. The length is great, and JJ loved it. A subtle but powerful lesson in modern friendship, and it’s Baby Bookworm approved!

Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the old saying goes, you don't appreciate what you have until it's gone.

Overjoyed at the sight of a rainbow that appeared after a rainstorm, Ava wishes that he would stay forever. She awakens the next morning to discover that her wish had come true. At first, everyone is thrilled, but the town soon loses interest as the rainbow becomes part of the landscape rather than a rare and precious sight. This saddens Ava on the rainbow's behalf. Feeling unappreciated, the rainbow finally leaves although he does occasionally return at infrequent and unpredictable intervals much to Ava's delight.

This story illustrates scarcity value, using the rainbow to demonstrate the change in desirability of something based upon the condition of its being wanted, possessed, or lost. In general, people value things they want and have lost much more than things they have. Once the rainbow decides to stay, everyone takes him for granted. He's no longer exciting, special, and rare. But once he leaves, the rainbow becomes desirable again. Of course, he does eventually begin appearing again after rainstorms because that's what rainbows do. But having learned his lesson, he reduces the number and frequency of his appearances in order to maintain a higher value.

I also liked that the rainbow was a "he." It's always fun to see someone breaking traditional gender norms.

[Micha O'Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Ava wishes that the beautiful rainbow that appears after a rain would stay, she wakes up to see that her wish has indeed come true. At first, people are amazed by the rainbow- travelling from far and wide to see it. However, after time, people take the rainbow for granted, even covering it with graffiti and signs. While the illustrations and message of the book are darling, there are some rather glaring mishaps that detract from the book. In no less than 4 places, the face falls in the gutter, with the worst offender mostly eradicating his smile. This is a gross error on the part of the designer, as well as the publisher for not catching this before it went to print. Otherwise, a cute book, unfortunately marred by some design flaws.

[CTWard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great picture book discussing the importance of temporary enjoyment of special things and letting go/transitioning to other items of interest or topics. Adamson's story of how something so special can easily turn mundane and be forgotten, albeit undeserved, is a great topic for children who struggle with hyper-focusing on items and topics and cannot transition to other fun items to play with or other imaginary/real-life play. Sadly, the book illustrations are not well laid out and can be busy at times or some of the important pieces of the illustrations are lost to the gutter of the binding in the center of the page. A great story time read in an intimate setting and private one-on-one read, nonetheless.

[Ali Book&Seaglasshunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes it’s best to let things go, and there is great enjoyment in and appreciation for the things we can only seldom have. That is the lesson in this story. Ava is a young girl who sees a rainbow and wishes it would never disappear. Somehow that happens-the rainbow stays! At first the rainbow is popular, with people coming from all over just to see it. But as time goes on, what was once beautiful becomes just simply ordinary. This book is great to read at those times when you have a kid wishing anything could last forever-birthdays, Holidays, vacations. It’s a reminder that even the best things in life can lose their luster and fade into the background if we don’t stop and appreciate them.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a gread "moral" to it. The pictures were bright and colorful, and the story was fun and cute. It rained and the rainbow came and Ava wished that it would stay. So it did. Everyone came from far and wide to see it, because it was so rare and special. As with things that are just there all of the time, it seemed to lose it's luster. People took it for granted and the Rainbow started to be sad. The rainbow realized that it is an uncommon occurance. It couldn't hang around all of the time. When it does show up it is special.

[Dream Reader Kids · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is just as magical as it’s fantastic illustrations. Ava is one of those kids that appreciates the world around her. There is nothing more wonderful than a rainbow, after a day of gloomy rain. Fortunately, this in no ordinary rainbow! This book teaches children the important lesson of appreciating the things we are blessed with. Ged Adamson is one of those literary superhero’s that can create a story that kids want to hear and see over, and over.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I suggest reading this with an Irish Accent! (I mean.. aren't Rainbows Irish?)
This is a well illustrated book with a lovely story ...but here is the rub... I think it has deeper meaning. Not just a sweet story about rainbows. When something is common and day to day, we forget they are precious...when it is rare, and unusual we treasure it more... shouldn't we find joy in the day to day? ... Deep man... deep!

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute picture book story with adorable illustrations.

My class enjoyed it and would smile every-time the rainbow was on a page. There is a moral, but my fresh first graders didn't pickup on it.

During our post read aloud conversation most seem to mentioned they liked how a girl was friends with a rainbow or rainbows are cool.

I'd be curious to see how a read aloud would go over with a slightly older audience.

[Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

A colourful book that touches on the importance of mindful appreciation for experiences and the easiness with which things can get taken for granted.

Miss 4 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.

[Ang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: The rain had stopped and the sun was coming out. And Ava knew that meant one thing ... A RAINBOW! And not just any rainbow - this was the most beautiful rainbow Ava had ever seen. And when the rainbow was still there the next day, and the next day, Ava realized it was true - the rainbow had decided to stay! But when people start to lose interest in the rainbow, Ava learns that sometimes the rare and special things in life are the most precious of all. -- inside left jacket flap

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

This reminds me so much of traveling. When I first look out the window and see the icebergs or mountains or fjords, I take hundreds of pictures and just sit and stare.

And then it becomes “normal” to see them, and I stop gasping and I put my camera away.


This might bring out some interesting discussion with kids. What ordinary things in life do we take for granted? Very cool story.

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This would be a stellar storytime read for st. Patrick's day! A little girl sees a rainbow that she wishes could stay forever, but when it does she is shocked to find people stop noticing it. The book is fun and flashy with a tiny lesson about how things can be extra special if we don't get them all the time!

[Ella Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet book about not taking special things in life for granted. The images are gorgeous, how could they not be with a huge rainbow on (almost) every page. I think this would be a cute book to have in the classroom, not too difficult but would hold students attention because it has cute details in the illustrations and a pretty good message.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised at how much I really enjoyed this. Not that I had any reason to not like this book, but I guess I just didn't know what to expect before reading. It was a great imaginative story about appreciating life's special moments when they happen and not taking anything for granted. The illustrations were really cute and helped to tell this story visually as well.

[Veronika · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this story about a little Ava who wishes for the rainbow that appears after a rain storm to stay forever! It was interesting to see how people forgot about the rainbow after a while and did not appreciate its beauty or rare appearance. The overall appeal and underlying message of the book was beautiful and I think fairly easy for children to understand.


*Read for story time 4/24/25

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lesson book on the value of appreciating temporary things. Bold illustrations make it a solid read-aloud, and the author has a lot of sympathy for Ava and her emotions when other people don't value the things she values. Recommended ages 3-5.

[Kalynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colorful story of a young girl that loved rainbows...so much she wished them to stay forever. If you are a teacher, I think this would be a great book for those rainy indoor recesses, or any rain/weather unit, which could lead to an interesting discussion about how rainbows happen.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A novel concept, and some cute, cartoonish illustrations . . . a bit of an overly simplified story and pacing is off during the last few pages, but could work well for a rainbow storytime or a 'grateful' themed storytime.

[Jordan MacKinnon · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful story ! This book does an amazing job of illustrating the idea that there are some special things in life and that if they are kept around every day they loose their value! It really is heartfelt and the illustrations are gorgeous !!!!!

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rainbows are noticed and appreciated because they don't happen often, so what happens when a rainbow stays? A nice demonstration of how we sometimes fail to appreciate the things that are always there and a reminder of not taking things for granted.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so cute and taught a valuable lesson. Ava wishes the rainbow would stay forever, but when the rainbow does stay, eventually people stop thinking the rainbow is special. I loved the pictures especially the one of rainbow at night. I also loved rainbow's face 😄

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

5yo had an illustration question about the visual of the large crowd. Since only the first row of people are colorful, they are wondering why there are ghosts behind them. Did not accept my explanation that it was a style choice to represent a large crowd.

[Daisy Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the message that this story promoted; to appreciate the things that we are graced with. This story is also why some things don't stay around long (like rainbows). it's because they are taken for granted.
Paired with fantastic and colorful illustrations.

[Wade Bradford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whimsical and wonderful.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A whimsical, lighthearted narrative delivers a satisfying message.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect read about how special things can be in small doses. It was a perfect conversation starter after the holiday season.