Sparky's Rainbow Repair

The author of Dinosaur Island here presents a technical tour-de-force that deftly blends interactive toy elements into the picture book format. The crew from Sparky's Rainbow Ranch face ``a very serious situation'': they must procure a new rainbow in time to stop a violent storm. To reach their goal they must solve a series of puzzles--variations on finding a hidden picture in the text--which the reader is invited to tackle with them. Packed with lavish, multimedia collages in electric rainbow hues, Haynes's ambitious project owes no small debt to Peter Max's unique artwork. Photos of plants, insects, leaves, flowers and butterflies serve as background for Haynes's overstuffed, vividly colored paint and pencil compositions. Though the spare story functions primarily as a conduit from one puzzle to the next, it displays an unaffected charm. Finding the required images in the kaleidoscopic artwork will provide a genuine challenge--answers are in the back--though some youngsters may feel that the tasks become repetitive after a few pages. Adults and older children will be intrigued by the detailed endnote describing the high-tech production of this ambitious work. Ages 5-up. (Apr.)