A Splash of Rainbows
Suzanne Patterson & Maia Batumashvili
Category: Children's Picture Book
Hardcover | 40 pages | 979-8-90115-026-9
Trim Size: 8.5” H x 10.3” W
Publication Date: May 5th, 2026
List Price: $18.99 USD
Publisher: Starfish Bay® Publishing
Genre: Realistic Fiction / Disability Representation Fiction
Reading Level: Grade 2-3
Interest Level: Grades K-4
Guided Reading Level: L
Lexile® Measure: 600L
Accelerated Reader® Level/Poin: 3.2/0.5

A celebration of resilience as a young girl with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis discovers the joys of art. 

Addy has Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA), and there are lots of things she would like to do, but her achy joints make certain activities a challenge. At the Razzle Dazzle Athletic Fun Day, Addy wants to enter all the events with her friends. Trying the egg and spoon race, she holds tight, but her hand groans, she wobbles, and the egg splatters to the ground. Determined to find something she is good at, Addy finds the art tent, and it is here that she discovers a secret talent. An uplifting story about resilience and joy and individual talent. 

Suzanne Patterson lives in Bathurst, Australia, with her husband and treasures time with her two grown children. She is an avid koala lover and hopes to one day cuddle one. Suzanne loves to doodle maps, make giant bubbles, and a frothy coffee. She enjoys creating stories from a GINORMOUS imagination pot that make children giggle, laugh, and believe in the magic of books.

Maia Batumashvili was born in Tiblisi, Georgia, in 1978. From a young age, Maia has loved to draw and is inspired by the children’s books and cartoons she grew up with. After graduating from two art institutes, Maia worked on an animation project before finally realizing her dream of illustrating children’s books. When Maia is not creating imaginative worlds, she enjoys spending time with her three beautiful children and her dog, Tayo.

Key Features:
  • Disability awareness and adaptation - navigating physical limitations with chronic illness.
  • Perseverance and resilience - continuing despite challenges.
  • Self-discovery - finding unexpected talents and strengths.
  • Inclusion and participation - finding ways to belong when traditional methods don’t work.
Themes:
  • Chaos and order - disruption in a formal setting
  • Responsibility and consequences - babysitting challenges
  • Unexpected solutions - chaos leads to success
  • Determination - baby's quest to reach aunt
  • Music and performance - orchestra setting
  • Relief and humor - turning disaster into triumph
  • Perseverance - baby's difficult journey through obstacles
  • Introduction to orchestral instruments - educational element
You may like