“It’s Pride, baby,” and the message from these two dads to their child is one of affirmation and support, no matter who the child grows to be or love.
The warm images by Dia Valle show the family getting ready for and celebrating Black Pride in Washington, D.C., as Allen R. Wells’s text offers verses like “Take up this space/With your beautiful Black self—/You belong./It’s Pride, baby.”
On one spread, the family rides the train to the parade. A couple in drag sits across from them, smiling and laughing together, but a few other passengers give them disapproving looks. The text remarks that “Our journey may be rocky” and “They may call you names/because of your beliefs,” advising, “But remember—/That isn’t who you are.”
Overall, though, the book focuses on the positive, not the detractors. A heaping dose of community spirit adds to the impact, as we see neighbors, too, preparing for the parade, with some taking part and others cheering on the marchers. One spread also shows a mural of Stonewall icons Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera as a child holds a brochure titled, “History of D.C. Black Pride”—not bogging down the main narrative, but hinting at the rich history behind the event and creating an opportunity for further conversation and reading between children and their adults.
A final spread shows the dads tucking the child into bed after a long day at the parade, as the text notes, “It’s Pride, Baby!/And we are so proud of you,” perfectly encapsulating the double pride that so many of us LGBTQ parents feel. It’s a perfect bedtime tale, but there’s no reason to limit it to one time of day or even one month. The focus on a Black family, and a secondary cast of predominantly BIPOC characters, add to the small but happily growing number of such books.
Backmatter includes a spread on “The History of the Black Gay Pride Movement” and a few tips on “How to Support a Child Who’s Coming Out as LGBTQIA+” (though tips on “How to Support a Child of LGBTQIA+ Parents” might also have been useful).
Highly recommended.
