5 The Rainbow Party

The Rainbow Party written by Pam Holden illustrated by Pauline Whimp

One day, Claire told her class that she was leaving the school. Her family was going to live in another town far away. Nobody felt like playing games or having fun because everyone was sad. The teacher looked at all those unhappy children, and she thought hard until she knew what to do. "We're feeling sad because Claire is leaving soon," she said. "But I've thought of an idea to cheer us all up."

"Let's have a costume party to say goodbye to Claire," said the teacher. "It must be a bright, happy party, so we'll all dress up in different coloured clothes. It will be a rainbow party." "Yes!" shouted the children. "Let's have a rainbow party! We'll each choose a different costume to wear. We should keep it a secret so we'll surprise everybody at school. Remember to choose a bright colour."

Isaac told his parents about Claire's rainbow party. "I want to dress up as something red," he said. "What about a stop light?" said his father. His mother thought he could be a ladybug. "No, "I'd like to be a fire truck," said Isaac. Kate's family helped her to think of something green. "Some lizards and crocodiles are green," said Mum. Dad said "You might like to be a grasshopper." "I know what you should choose," said her younger sister, "Frogs are green and they hop, too." "Yes, that's a good idea. I'll be a frog," said Kate.

Zoe's brothers gave her ideas about something yellow. "What about a banana or a pineapple for your costume?" asked her little brother. "A buzzing bee would be fun," said her older brother. "No, thanks. I'd like to dress up as the sun," she said. Tom told his grandmother about Claire's rainbow party. "I've chosen bright orange for my colour," he said. Grandma thought hard. "An orange is orange!" she said. "We could make a beautiful pumpkin costume." "No, I think I'll dress up as a goldfish," he said.

Poor Claire didn't know which colour to choose. "If I could choose silver, I might be a star or a fish," she thought. "I'd be a snowman or the moon if I could choose white. If I could choose brown, I might be a rabbit or an owl. But I must remember that it's a rainbow party, so I should dress up in something bright and beautiful."