The Robe of Rainbow Feathers
Overwhelmed by human pain, a girl works to feel joy through her interactions with nature in the encouraging picture book The Robe of Rainbow Feathers.
In Diane Arkenstone’s optimistic picture book The Robe of Rainbow Feathers, a girl learns to value the natural gifts all around her.
Though she has always worked to exhibit good humor and a positive outlook, an unnamed girl—sometimes lonely among her peers, but loved among the birds in her garden—is left bereft after a conversation with an old man regarding all the pain and suffering in the world. She spirals into a depression, rendered unable to notice the natural wonders she once reveled in. Later, she realizes that what she chooses to focus on informs her outlook. She decides to center the beauty around her, regain her joy, and appreciate the world.
The full-page painted illustrations favor vibrant colors and expressive figures, featuring flowers and birds of all species. When she is outside, the world seems wide and busy; in contrast, when she is depressed, the girl crouches in a pink room, wrapped in a starry blanket, and the tree in the window behind her goes unnoticed. Such framing choices push the story forward, complementing its themes well, though they also mean that the images carry much of the narrative’s weight; the prose itself is direct but minimalistic.
The central dilemma is somewhat minimized in the book’s rushed ending. Unhappy because of the pain in the world, the girl simply decides to look away from the pain. This frames the situation as quite black and white, as though she can either acknowledge suffering and be unhappy, or ignore it and be filled with bliss. The pain itself, though, remains, just beyond her line of sight.
Joy comes from reveling in natural wonders in the upbeat picture book The Robe of Rainbow Feathers, a story that celebrates what is good about life on Earth.
Reviewed by
Willem Marx
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
