The chalk rainbow by Deborah Kelly
Ill. by Gwynneth Jones. EK, 2017. ISBN 9781925335453
Zane is different to other kids - he lives in his own world with his
own language, a need to line things up and has an inordinate fear of
the colour black. Black food, black clothes, black anything - he
won't go near it. Not the pedestrian crossing, the soft fall at the
playground, not even his own driveway. So Zane is trapped on the
front step unable to venture further, even when his dad yells at
him. Until one day his sister starts to draw a chalk rainbow on the
steps to cheer him up. Zane likes colour so he joins in. And then
the magic begins...
Like so many children Zane is on the Autism Spectrum and while their
issues might seem unreasonable and even be unfathomable to those
around them, like Zane's fear of black frustrates and angers his
father, nevertheless they are very real to the child. And because of
the way their brain is wired they can't overcome those fears any
more than we can expect them to change their hair colour or foot
size, so it is up to us as adults to adapt our way of thinking and
working so we can enable the child to manage the world better. It's
about acknowledging their disorder and treating them with respect
and dignity. If they can't change then we must. Through imagination
and love, the rainbow bridges work for Zane's family and instead of
being frustrated even his dad is able to free Zane from the prison
walls of black.
Kids themselves are very accepting of others whatever their
differences, but they don't always understand how their actions can
help or hinder. Nearly every classroom has a child with ASD these
days and while that child's issues might not be the colour black,
using this book as a springboard to introduce how peers can help the
ASD child have a better time at school would be a brilliant start
towards total acceptance and understanding. Even if there is no ASD
involved, using the imagination to make something like a chalk
rainbow to take that next step into the unknown is a wonderful
strategy.
An essential addition to the school library's collection and the
home library of the siblings of an ASD child.
Barbara Braxton