The Rainbow Hand
Poems About Mothers and Children

The poems in this collection are about mothers and their children, both from the child's perspective and the mother's. Ranging in subject from a child walking in her mother's comforting, protective shadow to a ten-year-old girl wondering if her mother was a freak when she was ten years old to a mother holding her infant son, these poems touch on all aspects of the mother/child relationship.

Inspired by her memories of her mother and her own role as a mother of a young son, these poems, skillfully illustrated in full color by Jennifer Hewitson, create an honest portrait of timeless human connections.

Comments from the Author

When I wrote the poems for The Rainbow Hand: Poems about Mothers and Children, I hoped to write a book that a child (eight or forty-eight) would want to share with a mother, maybe with a mushy little note tucked inside. Not all the poems in The Rainbow Hand are loving and sweet, though, and a few of the poems are even a bit angry at this meat loaf cook who ruins plans and nags about the messy house (as my mother still does). No one drives me crazy the way my mother can, this onion of a mother who makes me cry. But without her, who would I be?

When young readers and their mothers and fathers and uncles and aunts and teachers finish reading The Rainbow Hand, I want them to say, "Yeah, I love my crazy mother, too," as they sit down to write a poem of their own.


Awards and Honors

• American Booksellers Association Pick of the Lists
• Penn State University, Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor

Reviews and Comments

"In an exquisite and moving collection of poetry, Wong explores
the myriad emotions connected to the word and image of
‘mother' ... a gift book for children to read with adults."
– Kirkus

"Like the presence of a mother's hand, Wong's thoughtful and reflective volume is comforting and easily accessible. The poems are solid and steady reminders of the connections between mothers and children . . . Universal love, discipline, strength, and emotion are all in evidence here."
– School Library Journal

"All of [the poems] hold a kernel of truth that readers of all ages will recognize...Children will find their own tangled feelings here."
– Booklist

Ordering Information

The Rainbow Hand: Poems About Mothers And Children
By Janet S. Wong
Illustrations by Jennifer Hewitson
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
ISBN: 0-689-82148-4

This book is available at your local independent children's book store or online at:

• eToys.com
• BookSense.com