“The Skate Free” was born as a poem and remains so in this newly minted Book Two of Kelly Anne Manuel’s Rainbow’s End Series. In this story the Child is invited on a journey to experience an everyday item in a new and exciting way. The item is the wheel and it is shown in a light that will encourage the Child to play creatively with anything that has them attached.
This book offers a standing invitation to the Child. Journey to the tail of a rainbow’s end and see what fantastical adventures await. In “The Skate Free” the Child will experience a place where wheels are celebrated and enjoyed for the wonderful invention that they are. The message that playing with wheels leads to discovery and freedom is woven into this playful story.
The simple words take on new meaning as the illustrations pair perfectly with their presentation. The illustrations lead the way to an adventure where items with wheels are shared for inspiration. The idea that a Skate Free is when anything with wheels finds itself outdoors is meant to encourage time and play in Nature. The Child’s imagination will be ignited with possibilities as all manner of images leap off the pages.
Children are naturally able to imagine events that are characteristic of a playful youth. In this story the author encourages the Child to actively engage in flexing their imagination muscle while visually stimulated with vehicles, toys, and even a hand truck. Creating a new event for wheeled items is a way to engage the Child’s curiosity as well as stimulate conversation.
It is in Early Childhood that futures are being constructed. “The Skate Free” is a tool in a Caregiver’s toolbox to assist with that healthy formation. The idea that every wheel is an opportunity for fun, function, and fascination is an important message that the author wants to relay. The Child who reads this book will be rewarded with motivation to discover everything the wheel has to offer, especially when it finds itself out a door.