Rain Before Rainbows by Smriti Halls (author) and David Litchfield (illustrator)

A girl and her companion fox travel together from a place of loss and despair, through uncertain times, towards the hope of colour, light and life. Along the way, they find friends to guide and support them. Together, they build a glorious future and discover there is a way out of the darkness, into the light of the rainbow. A book with immense hope at its heart, this is a positive message for anyone who’s ever struggled or gone through a tough time. An uplifting, stunningly beautiful book about optimism and resilience, and learning to overcome stress and worry.

Rain Before Rainbows is the book that spoke to the nation during the onset of the covid pandemic. It was originally released for free in its digital format as part of Save The Children’s Save With Stories campaign, and Stanley Tucci performed a reading for the campaign.

This dreamlike vision of a girl and fox travelling from darkness and difficulty to a blaze of morning light offers, with its few well-chosen words and heart-lifting illustrations, a moving message of perseverance and eventual joy. The Guardian