children's fiction
Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader.
Children's ...
brand originally created by Working Partners and now owned by IoM Media Ventures. It is best known for the children's books published by
Orchard Books
Grolier was one of the largest American publishers of general encyclopedias, including '' The Book of Knowledge'' (1910), ''The New Book of Knowledge'' (1966), ''The New Book of Popular Science'' (1972), ''Encyclopedia Americana'' (1945), ''Acad ...
. The books are ghostwritten by a number of authors under the collective
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
Daisy Meadows, and illustrated by Georgie Ripper and Alison Winfield in several books and uncredited illustrators in the latest books. The series follows the lives of Kirsty Tate and Rachel Walker and their magical adventures with their fairy friends.
''Rainbow Magic'' books by Daisy Meadows were the most-borrowed children's books at libraries in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, and the second-most borrowed books overall at those libraries, in 2010 and 2011, respectively.
The ''Rainbow Magic'' books are issued by Scholastic Inc. in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. Some series and individual book titles vary in the Scholastic editions. There are also colored ''Rainbow Magic'' books for younger readers, which are also published by Scholastic.
The books are usually six chapters long, and tell one overarching story spanning out over seven books. Each set of books is based on a theme, such as 'The Sporty Fairies' and 'The Jewel Fairies.’
Characters
;Main characters
* Rachel Walker
* Kirsty Tate
* Jack Frost, king of the goblins
* Mr. Walker, Rachel Walker's father
* Mrs. Walker, Rachel Walker's mother
* Mr. Tate, Kirsty Tate's father
* Mrs. Tate, Kirsty Tate's mother
* Queen Titania, queen of the fairies
* King Oberon, king of the fairies
;Other characters
* Goblins, who have long noses and green skin. In early books, they were depicted as extremely small; in later books, the size of an average child
*Various fairies, magical animals and pets
Authors
The ''Rainbow Magic'' books are written and illustrated by a number of authors and illustrators:
* Linda Chapman
*
Narinder Dhami
Narinder Dhami (born 1958 in Wolverhampton) is a British children's author.
Early life
Dhami's father was an Indian immigrant from the Punjab who arrived in the UK in 1954, and her mother is English.Marilyn Kaye
* Kristen Earhart
* Narinder Dhami
* Mandy Archer
* Tracey West
* Alison Winfield
Each title carries a dedication including a "special thanks" indicating the primary author.
Books
Rainbow Magic: Return to Rainspell Island
''Rainbow Magic: Return to Rainspell Island'' is a
straight to video
Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was ...
anime
is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...
movie that was first released in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
on 7 May 2010. It is a British-Japanese co-production that was co-produced by
HIT Entertainment
HIT Entertainment Limited (commonly written as HiT) was a British-American entertainment company founded in 1982 as Henson International Television, the international distribution arm of The Jim Henson Company, by Jim Henson, Peter Orton, and Sop ...
and The Answer Studio. It was also released in Japan; the film was only recorded in English as its Japanese release has no Japanese vocal track.