Wishes and Rainbows

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RRINBOMS

WrSMES AND RAINBOWS

written by Oefara Carpenter-Beck
adapted by Stephen Devaux
illustrated by Carrie Hortmon
1/2007

DEEP BENEATH THE GROUND, BETWEEN BOULDER'S
RIDGE AND GOPHER JUNCTION, LIES THE LITTLE
TOWN OF PEBBLETON.

THERE IS NO COLOR.

BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF COLOR, ALL THE HOUSES LOOK ALIKE AND EVERY STREET
SEEMS LIKE ANY OTHER STREET. THE LITTLE PEBBLEPEOPLE LOOK THE SAME, EACH
ABOUT SIX INCHES TALL. AND INSTEAD OF PRETTY PINK BLOUSES, BLUE PANTS, OR
YELLOW SCARVES, THEY WEAR ONLY WHITES, BLACKS, AND GRAYS.

THE PEBBLEPEOPLE ARE NOT HAPPY IN THEIR WORLD OF NO COLOR. FOR CENTURIES
THEY HAVE HEARD STORIES OF A LEGENDARY "COLORLAND," AND THEY LONG TO LOOK
UPON THE BLUES, REDS, AND YELLOWS THEY HAVE HEARD SO MUCH ABOUT

ROOTA LEAPS TO HER FEET AND RUNS
AMONG THE FLOWERS.

CARRYING THE FLOWER,
ROOTA RETURNS TO THE
HOLE AND TURNS FOR
ONE LAST LOOK.

ROOTA MAKES HER WAY BACK
THROUGH THE TUNNELS AND FINDS
ROCKIE. SHE TELLS HIM OF HER
ADVENTURE.

SO TWXS IS

WHAT COLOR
LOOKS LIKE. IT IS
PRETTIER THAN I
EVER IMAGINED.

I CAN HARDLY
WAIT TO SHOW
_MY GRANDMA!

y^

QUICKLY, THEY TAKE THE FLOWER BACK

TO PEB6LET0N AND SHOW IT TO ROOTA'S

GRANDMOTHER.

f OH ROOTA! ^:s<

iZx -^ X*

^ IT IS THE MOST T

h^T^

BEAUTIFUL THING I

W*^

^^j)

HAVE EVER SEEN. ,

l^v^

/^^^\

YOU HAVE MADE y^

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%^~sS\

ROOTA AND ROCKIE ARE
5UMM0NDED BEFORE
THE MAYOR.

BUT SOON
THEIR JOY
FADES .

a

THEY RETURN TO
PEBBLETON . . .

OH, LOOK,
ROOTA! THE
BRIGHT AND
PRETTY FLOWER
HAS BECOME
WILTED AND
6RAY!

ONCE THERE, SHE PLACES THE THREE TEARS
UNDER THE EARTH WHERE THE GOLDEN LIGHT
SHINES DOWN.

13

BURSTING WITH HAPPINESS, THE
CHILDREN RACE BACK TO PEBBLETON
WITH THE GOOD NEWS. BUT . . .

THE PEOPLE OF PEBBLETON HAVE BEEN
WITHOUT COLOR ALL THEIR LIVES. NOW
THEY HAVE SEEN ITS BEAUTY AND WANT
MORE AND MORE. ONLY YOU CAN DECIDE
WHO WILL GET A FLOWER AND WHO WON'T

so ROOTA
RETURNS TO
THE SUNLIT
CAVE. SHE
SITS BESIDE
THE FLOWERS
THINKING.

15

ROOTA CALLS THE FIRST THREE NAMES
AND HANDS EACH A FLOWER.

y

7h

But the townspeople are still
not content. many want two, three,
and even four flowers of their own.
since roota cannot grow that many
in only two sunlit caves, she and
rockie still search for another
opening to colorland.

so don't be surprised if some
summer day when you're lying
on the green grass and looking
^/ at the blue sky, you hear voices
coming from underground. it
could be rockie and roota searching
for the entrance to colorland.

•

(

FeiOenAL RESERVE
BANK OF BOSTON ""