Published by
Old Castle Books

The Rainbow Weaver

A picture book for 5-11 years, the Rainbow Weaver is for children and adults who love and want stories with beautiful pictures - as well greatly appealing for children who feel a little daunted by the step-up to novels.

It has been uniquely designed to be easily  read in different character voices… The speech typography changes according to the person that is talking –  ideal for reading as a play, in groups or in the classroom.

A moral tale with a charming twist at the end.  Traditional at heart, yet stylishly contemporary  - it pleases kids,  parents and grandparents!

Stunningly produced in the highest quality paper, it also offers real value for money at 42 pages long

How Did the Book Get Created

Lyndsay is an artist and a photographer who lives in Kingston with her husband Mike, and daughter Tippi.    Many say Tippi is so creative she’s “away with the fairies”!

Possibly true.

The storyline of The Rainbow Weaver was born of a night when aged seven, she couldn’t sleep and crawled into her mother’s bed.  Desperate to doze off,  Lyndsay resorted to her usual cure for insomnia by suggesting they made up fairy tales.

Sleepily, Tippi started spinning an exceptionally magical story with a sweet, moral twist.  Then it was Lyndsay who sat up awake.  She later delighted her daughter by crafting Tippi’s classic-style tale with words and illustrations.

They share a very close bond…which her mother suspects will be broken when Tippi grows up and sues her over who owns the rights to the book!

Hopefully, this won’t happen because Tippi has since been commissioned to write and illustrate a series of books completely of her own

Synopsis

Looking out of the window, Tillie is mystified.  She sees a radiant Rainbow – but strangely, one side ends short, trailing off in mid-air.  It gets even shorter.

Intrigued, she follows the arc to the edge of the enchanted wood. 
Here, she discovers the Hobgoblin King is stealing the Rainbow’s multi-coloured thread and weaving it into a dazzling, long cloak – a cloak with dangerous magic powers.  He sees her.

Tillie runs away, saved by Skylight, Sunburst and Raindance - the three Sprites who make rainbows.  They beg Tillie’s help to find out what ‘Hecatey the Hideous’ - King of the Hobgoblins is secretly up to, and where he hides. 

Bravely going back to spy on him, Tillie is shocked at the truth.   When the evil hobgoblin wears the cloak, it sucks the colour out of whatever it passes – trees, birds, animals, flowers – turning everything grey and drab - except for the King in the rainbow robe, who looks more and more magnificent as it soaks in the colour. 

His plan is vain and selfish. By making the world a ghostly cold and colourless place, he will become the most magnificent sight in all the land.

Tillie follows Hecatey to his secret cave, hidden under a tree stump.  The Sprites then sneak in whilst he’s having a nap…take the thread from the end of the cloak and tie it back to the thread at end of the disappearing Rainbow.

Then it’s Tillie’s turn.  She wakes Hecatey up, and dares him to chase her.  Furious, he dashes after her through the forest - unaware he’s unravelling the cloak as he runs.  When he finally realises he's been tricked, he races in circles - exploding in rage like a giant Catherine Wheel firework. 

As he spins high into the sky, all the stolen colours shoot down to earth and seep back. In an ironic, moral twist, the wicked King of the Hobgoblins finally gets his wish…

......…People below look up amazed, and for one brief moment, ‘Hecatey the Hideous’    truly is… the most magnificent sight in all the land.