By
– August 6, 2012
After the sudden death of her 7‑year-old daughter, Barbara Meislin searched for answers to difficult questions by writing song lyrics. Walking to her mailbox each day, an image of a letter containing all of the answers regarding the loss of her child floated in her mind but she was unable to turn it into lyrics. One day, the mailbox was stolen and eventually the painted rainbow that she and another daughter put in its place also disappeared. Feeling as though someone had stolen her hope, she recounted the story to her friend Rabbi Natan Segal. Segal replied, “Purple Lady, no one can ever steal your rainbow.” With those words, her hope was renewed, and she was finally able to write the lyrics that had eluded her. Those lyrics became this book. Helen Webber’s vibrant illustrations are a beautiful complement to Meislin’s story of hope and faith. The rhyming text describes the loss of a girl’s mailbox and the rainbow put in its place. She never loses hope once she realizes that the rainbow in her heart can never be taken away. Meislin, known as the “Purple Lady” because of her love of purple, is donating the proceeds of this book to Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam (The Oasis of Peace) in Israel and to other charitable organizations that benefit children. Included in the book is an audio CD of the Purple Lady singing “No One Can Ever Steal Your Rainbow” plus the lyrics and sheet music. For readers 9 – 11.
Aimee Lurie, formerly a teen services librarian at the Cuyahoga County Public Library, is the librarian of Agnon School, a Jewish day school in Beachwood, Ohio. She has a BA from Ohio State University and received her MLS from Kent State University.