The fun adventure of Sofia and her fig-eating cat, Incir (In-jir). A lesson of love, acceptance, and respect for diversity.
Sofia's Rainbow donates to children's literacy programs.
In Istanbul, Sofia is a lonely girl who dreams of climbing rainbows. She spends long hours on her terrace overlooking the waters of the Golden Horn waiting for a rainbow to approach. She befriends Incir (In-jir), a stray kitten who eats figs and is afraid of heights. Sofia mocks Incir for his oddities and bullies him when he refuses to spend time on the terrace with her. When she finally climbs her rainbow and the rainbow begins to thin out, it is Incir who, despite his fear of heights, runs up the rainbow and leads Sofia to safety. Sofia learns the importance of tolerance and respect for diversity.
Excerpt
Once upon a time, in the far and magic city of Istanbul, lived a girl with thick, curly hair, darker than the swallows that crisscrossed the sky. Her eyes were large and gentle, bright blue like the Marmara Sea. The girl's name was Sofia.
Professional Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Life Lessons from SOFIA'S RAINBOW, February 25, 2012 By Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States)
Lina Simoni has written a charming children's book that, as with all fine children's books, has a resounding, important message for humanity. Accompanying Lina Simoni's fine writing are the illustrations by Laura Furlan: together they have created a book of wonder and warmth. Sofia is a little girl with black curly hair who lives in Istanbul and who loves the view of the Mamara Sea - at all times of the day: she is especially fond of the frequent rainbows that form over the water, wishing that she could climb the rainbow! Sofia's father is a shoemaker and one day she accompanies her father into the city where they discover a mother cat and her kittens. Sofia asks to take one, her father agrees, and they bring the smallest thinnest kitten home only to discover that the cat has odd habits - the cat won't climb, won't drink milk from a bowl, sleeps on the floor on his back with feet extended and prefers eating figs to milk. Sofia names her cat Incir (Turkish for 'fig') and pleads with her cat to be normal. Frustrated, one day a rainbow forms close to Sofia's baluster on her terrace and Sofia is able to fulfill her dream and climb the rainbow. But once on the rainbow there is no way down - until Incir intervenes. Sofia's view of Incir changes - just because different people (or cats) do different things than us does not mean we can't be friends. This is a well designed, well illustrated and very well written book for children. Another factor that makes it important is that it shares another culture for children to appreciate. Very highly recommended. Grady Harp, February 12 --Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars A melding of the magic of a rainbow and the acceptance of differences, February 28, 2012 By Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)
For thousands of years, humans have looked up at a rainbow and observed a bridge and a pathway; these aspirations are codified in our mythology of the pot of gold and the rainbow bridge between Asgard and heaven in Norse mythology. The idea of a rainbow bridge also appears in many different formats in modern song and verse. In this story the young Turkish girl Sofia also considers the rainbow to be a friend as well as a platform from which she could look down on her home city of Istanbul. When she encounters a litter of kittens that are scrawny and unkempt, Sofia selects the smallest kitten to take home. At first she struggles to get the kitten to eat and be friendly, but eventually she succeeds although Incir persists in exhibiting unusual behavior. Incir demonstrates a fear of even modest heights and no matter what Sofia does, Incir refuses to go upward on anything. However, when there is a crisis, it is Incir that climbs upward to "rescue" Sofia from a position of danger. It is at this point that Sofia realizes that she should stop trying to change Incir and just accept him the way he is. It is natural for children to look at a rainbow and see a bridge and think of magic, Simoni does a good job in capturing this propensity. The images are clear, simple and not overly colorful, well in keeping with what young readers can process. The lesson of acceptance is well blended with the thoughts of magic; together they make a good story for young people. --Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Sophia's Rainbow - A Beautiful Sight!, March 9, 2012 By Cheryl C. (Utah)
I read this book with my six year old daughter. It gave me a pretty good gauge for the book and the child age group targeted. It was a good way for us to spend an afternoon together as well. I'm happy to report that we both enjoyed the book. What little girl doesn't dream of finding a rainbow? I like the way Sophia has dreams of being special. She waited so patiently when she had to stay home alone, watching her world from her balcony. When Sophia gets the chance to choose a kitten, her father tells her to listen to her heart. She does this, without knowing quite how. At first, like so many children, she adores her kitten and his peculiar habits. As Incir grows and still refuses to spend the days with her on her balcony - her place of dreaming and safety - she becomes irritated. What kind of a cat is afraid of heights? Then Sophia's dream comes true as a rainbow appears at her balcony. I really enjoyed the way Sophia came to realize that she should cherish the differences in Incir. This is a tender story showing how we should embrace the differences and show tolerance for those we don't understand. Each person (and animal) has something special and different about them. This story shows that well. It also shows how dreams aren't always quite what we imagined them to be. I enjoyed the illustrations as well. They were colorful and added a dimension to the emotions of the story. All in all, I can definitely recommend this story to teach about differences, pets, dreams, and all these things we love of childhood. --Amazon
Meet Yoo Hoo, a charming dragon with an appetite for adventure—and pizza! Unlike other dragons who live in caves or hoard treasures, Yoo Hoo prefers the comforts of his castle’s kitchen, where he whips up his favorite meal, pizza, alongside his trust
Meet Yoo Hoo, a charming dragon with an appetite for adventure—and pizza! Unlike other dragons who live in caves or hoard treasures, Yoo Hoo prefers the comforts of his castle’s kitchen, where he whips up his favorite meal, pizza, alongside his trust
