The chapter "The Rainbow" introduces a beautiful poem written by Christina Rossetti. In this poem, the poet compares man-made objects with the wonders of nature. We learn that boats sail smoothly on rivers and big ships sail across wide seas. However, the white clouds that float and sail across the open sky are far prettier than both boats and ships.
The poet also describes bridges built by human beings over rivers. While these river bridges look very pretty, they cannot match the splendour of the rainbow. The rainbow is described as a magical bow that bridges heaven, rises high above the tops of the green trees, and builds a colourful road connecting the earth to the sky. Through this comparison, the poem teaches us that things made by nature are always more beautiful than things made by human hands.
The chapter also includes a delightful story-poem titled "The Rainbow Fairies" by L. M. Hadley. In this poem, two little clouds fly fast across the sky, bump their heads, and cry tears of rain. To cheer them up, Father Sun sends seven lovely fairies dressed in violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red gowns. After wiping away the falling cloud-tears, the fairies hang their wet colourful gowns to dry on a line of sunbeams, creating the radiant rainbow we see in the sky.
In addition to these poems, the chapter provides interesting English language activities. Learners discover how two words join together to form compound words, such as "rainbow" and "sunflower". Students also practice opposite words starting with the letter "S", learn about naming words or Nouns (names of persons, places, and things), and explore how mixing different colours produces new and vibrant shades.