Rainbow Street by R.W.R McDonald

Title: Rainbow Street

Author: R.W.R McDonald

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Larrikin House

Published: 26^th August 2025

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 32

Price: $24.99

Synopsis: Welcome to Rainbow Street! Meet Cherry’s rainbow family and her fun-loving neighbours as they enjoy a street party with family traditions and delicious food from around the world.

Rainbow Street invites young readers (and their grown-ups!) to explore the magic of inclusion, the joy of diversity, and the simple delight of belonging. And there is always a place for everyone at the table. There’s just one thing missing … Where is grandma?

~*~

R.W.R. McDonald is back with a fabulous new picture book celebrating the fabulous diversity of Rainbow Street. Everyone is welcome and celebrated here. From Christmas to Holi to Chinese New Year and everyone’s birthdays, the street and its diverse families come together as family.

Today, they’re getting ready to celebrate Granny’s 90^th birthday, so Cherry and all her friends and family are setting up with their favourite foods, and revisiting all the fun and colourful adventures and holidays they have had and celebrated over the years. Everyone is connected joyfully and they all live close to each other. This creates an ideal and fun community filled with acceptance, which is the message at the heart of all of Rob’s fantastic books. Rainbow Street is no exception.

As Cherry introduces readers to her family and friends, the street comes to life, and we are treated to a story full of joy and love accompanied by deliciously colourful and vibrant illustrations by Kelly Canby. The characters burst off the page, ready to dance and sing, creating a world of utter pleasure. Books like this that celebrate diversity and show the important role of community are great to read, because amidst the fun story is an important message about inclusion for readers. Lessons are learned as people engage with the book and start to see their vibrant communities for what they truly are. Books that celebrate being yourself and embracing different people for who they are, sharing cultures, sharing what we might have in common and what makes us human. R.W.R McDonald’s Rainbow Street is full of love and acceptance, sending a heartfelt message that everyone is important. That your identity and background are part of who you are, that you shouldn’t be judged for it or be judged for something you have no control over like race, gender, sexuality, or disability.

It unites a community and by extension, unites readers, and brings powerful themes of family and friendship to life in a colourful and fun picture book for readers of all ages to enjoy and connect with. It’s a book for everyone, and one that I think will be beloved by many readers.