Unicorn Rainbow Bridge
Unicorn Rainbow Bridge
by ReadRead · 4 min readTwo islands, one big gap, and a cloud sheep with an idea. Prance, and the rainbow grows. A story about building a way to a friend.
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Sunny the unicorn lives on one little sky island, and her friend Plum lives on another, far across the sky. Puff the cloud sheep shakes out some rain, and a tiny rainbow arch appears, but it is much too small. So the unicorns prance, and colours pop out of their hooves until the rainbow grows from both islands. There is still a gap in the middle, until Puff floats up to fill it.
The new words in this book
A curved shape like a bow, like a rainbow. It comes up 7 times, and every time a paper rainbow arch is right there on the page: a tiny one, two halves growing toward each other, and the whole bridge.
To step with happy, high little steps. It comes up 8 times, and every time a unicorn lifts its hooves high and colour pops out where they land.
A refrain comes back on four spreads (“Up and down, up and down!”), so a child can join in early. Every other word is a common word, like sky, island, rainbow, cloud, gap and friend.
Questions to ask while you read
Pause after each spread and ask one question. There are no right answers; the point is to get your child talking.
- 1Where do Sunny and Plum live? What is between the islands?
- 2Why can’t Sunny go and play with Plum?
- 3Who floats by? What is Puff’s idea?
- 4The rain made a tiny arch. Why is it no good yet?
- 5What pops out when Sunny prances? Can you prance too?
- 6Which colours come from Plum’s hooves?
- 7Oh no, a gap! How does Puff help?
- 8How does Sunny get across? How does Plum feel?
- 9Tap and see: who can prance on the rainbow bridge?
- 10Who would you build a bridge to?
How hard is this book?
About 300 words, longer sentences, more different words.
- Dialogue × 8“Hop on me! I am soft!”
- Questions × 2“How can I get across?” says Sunny.
- Commands × 3“Hop on me! I am soft!”
- Not / no × 2“We can not get across!” says Sunny.
All 112 words, most used first
the 18 · and 14 · up 10 · a 9 · down 9 · arch 7 · on 7 · can 6 · says 6 · to 6 · across 5 · out 5 · rainbow 5 · big 4 · from 4 · is 4 · island 4 · little 4 · but 3 · gap 3 · get 3 · go 3 · her 3 · they 3 · we 3 · bridge 2 · floats 2 · goes 2 · grows 2 · his 2 · hooves 2 · hug 2 · i 2 · in 2 · islands 2 · its 2 · lives 2 · look 2 · me 2 · now 2 · of 2 · one 2 · pop 2 · sky 2 · starts 2 · sun 2 · then 2 · there 2 · too 2 · unicorn 2 · all · am · are · behind · blue · by · calls · came · cloud · clouds · coat · come · comes · drops · everyone · fall · far · first · float · for · friend · friends · green · high · hooray · hop · how · into · it · make · meet · middle · much · name · need · no · not · oh · orange · over · rain · red · shakes · sheep · so · soft · stars · tap · that · them · this · tiny · two · under · wants · way · who · with · woolly · yellow · yes · you
Names don’t count: the picture shows who it is.
Tips for parents
- First time: use Read to me and let your child just listen and watch.
- Before page seven, stop and ask “How can they fix the gap?” Let them guess before Puff floats up.
- Every time the book says prance, stand up and prance together: high knees, little steps.
- Draw a rainbow arch together and put two toys on each end. What could fill the gap in the middle?