Sometimes all you need is a big heart and burning desire.Danny, a curious harp seal pup, has soft white fur and black innocent eyes. Helen is an environmentalist and member of a young activist crew of the Rainbow Warriors. Their mission is to save animals.As winter turns into spring, a new generation of seal pups comes to life. A few weeks later, the killing begins. Against a spectacular backdrop … begins. Against a spectacular backdrop of ice and snow, Helen prepares to look horrific human cruelty in the face.
I do not doubt I have a big heart and burning desire, but is that enough for a person to become a Rainbow Warrior, or is there something better? Something only some of us manage to turn into what we have long missed—humanity.
In the race against time and clubs, will Helen save Danny before the hunt begins and the ice turns red?
Though written for younger readers, Look for Me Under the Rainbow will appeal to anyone who cherishes our beautiful planet and wishes to protect its treasures.
Buy this book by Bernard Jan, the author of A World Without Color, and experience another emotional journey.
Cover design by Mario Kožar MKM Media
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I’ve been following the author of this book, Bernard Jan, for about a year, but I hadn’t read any of his written works previously. When my shiba inu passed away earlier this year, someone reminded me to get a copy of Look for Me Under the Rainbow: A Novella as it would provide some comfort and offer a few ideas about the life of animals outside what we know. I purchased a copy last month and added it to my TBR once I was ready to deal with the concept of a wonderful animal passing away.
Jan offers an emotional tale of beloved mammals of the sea. We love looking at them sitting on icebergs or watching them dive into the frozen ocean playing around with others of their kind, yet we also get angry when people hurt them for the pleasure of a kill or to make money off their bodies. The author’s created a family of amazing and gentle creatures who appeal to our hearts as we see what happens when a sibling is killed or a parent dies. Danny’s mom tells him to look for the rainbow when death approaches whether it be a killer whale, evil poachers, or something even more nasty. She’s a mom to all of us in many ways.
In a short work, Jan has provided an intense connection filled with love, fear, bonds, and touching moments we can easily translate as humans. From oil spills to getting caught between the ice, we understand the struggles of animals who can only do so much to protect themselves or their young. It’s not unlike our own reality as humans, but at least we are rarely hunted down and brutally mutilated just for the fun of it.
Without getting into any gory details or making it uncomfortable, Jan has truly shown a different side of life in the ocean. Death is never easy. Loss is profound. Through wonderful imagery, lyrical text, and strong emotions, he’s got a winner with Danny’s story. I look forward to reading another of his novellas in the future.
5 Stars
Look For Me Under the Rainbow by Bernard Jan is an incredibly passionate eye-opening reading experience, which has stayed with me long after I finished the last page. It is a thought-provoking tale which highlights the plight of the Harp Seals and what we humans inflict on them every year. I hadn’t realised that seal hunting still continues to this day- I honestly thought it was abolished decades ago- so I learned quite a bit, not only from the story- but also from my investigation into the topic on the internet.
The story follows Danny the Harp Seal who is one of the seasons ‘new’ pups. He is inquisitive, playful, and trusting. I though Bernard Jan was quite clever in the way he used Danny to tell the story, getting us (the reader) invested in him and the outcome of his story, and thereby really making his message hit home.
There are confronting, heartbreaking scenes which were quite intense. It definitely drew an emotional response from me. It highlights the best and worst of humanity- as well as encouraging us to be better stewards of our planet. While the story embraces environmental activism, animal rights, and bringing awareness to this shocking practice- it is all woven around a really well-written and emotive story.
Well worth the read!
Thank you, Bernard Jan!
When I read the blurb for Look for Me Under the Rainbow, it caught my interest. I wasn’t expecting the feelings that this book evoked. I felt everything from joy to horror to sadness.
I will admit, I went into Look for Me Under the Rainbow with a certain mindset. I thought that it was going to be a children’s book about a young seal pup named Danny and his adventures. Well, that isn’t the case. Instead, I got a book that showed exactly how hard a harp seal’s life is and the dangers they face.
Danny was a great main character. His curiosity and innocence were what I expected from a harp seal pup. The questions he asked were what I expected a child to ask. But, like all children, Danny disobeys his mother, and there are consequences.
The harp seal pups slaughter was horrifying. I had thought that clubbing them to death had ended. The other horrors that the author described (being skinned alive and left to die) made me sick to my stomach. I kept thinking to myself, “How is that humane??? They are babies!!!” I cannot believe that this is allowed. That is when my horror turned to outrage.
The author also showed what the seals went through if they survived the slaughter. Everything from natural enemies (killer whales and polar bears) to human-made hazards (oil spills to nets left floating in the ocean). It was heartbreaking.
I liked that the author showed that people are trying to do the right thing. The Rainbow Warriors and Helen tried to stop the slaughter. How they did it was smart. I wouldn’t have thought to do that!! But those activists are only a small handful of people. More people need to help.
Look for Me Under the Rainbow is a short book, actually a novella. Marketed towards children, I was a little iffy about the age range on this. I decided on Tween because I felt that the younger kids could be traumatized by the descriptions of the seal pup slaughter.
The end of Look for Me Under the Rainbow wasn’t a happy one. But it wasn’t a sad one either. It was an eye opening one.