A celebration of the joy in being oneself—and in helping others be their true selves, too.
The book opens with an analogy, telling readers that everyone is born full of colors, which can come together into an amazing rainbow. “Your rainbow is made up of all the things that make you happy,” explains the text by Shane Jordan and Rick Hendrix, as Jieting Chen’s lush watercolor illustrations show a child (who reads as a boy), happily playing with his puppy, his dad, and his grandmother, and twirling in a skirt. You can also share your rainbow with those you love, the book advises, “Just be true to who you are.”
We see the boy, dad, and mom then head out to a Pride parade, a place where “you are loved for being yourself.” There, however, another child hunches under gray clouds in the rain, as the text notes that not everyone is comfortable letting their rainbow shine. The text doesn’t specify why this might be so, but the opposite page asks, “Have you ever felt like you couldn’t share your rainbow?” offering an opportunity for discussion between young readers and their adults. As the first child shares a rainbow-hued umbrella with the second, the text tells us to remember that the sun will appear again after it rains—bringing with it a rainbow!
The first child, his parents, and the new friend then happily join the parade, as we read that the colors of the rainbow are the colors of family, friends, and neighbors supporting each other, “the colors of all the love in the world.” The two children stand together, wrapped in a rainbow, as the text encourages readers to reflect on what makes them feel proud.
The entire story has a clear pedagogic intent, but carries this out with thoughtfulness, conveying lessons on self-confidence, the importance of support from others (whether parents, friends, or community), and of providing such support in turn. Throughout the book, readers are also asked discussion questions, as above, offering interactive ways to further delve into the issues raised. Those seeking a tool for having such conversations will appreciate these prompts.
Backmatter includes a short glossary of terms related to LGBTQ identities, additional activities and discussion questions, and a note from Christy Olezeski, Ph.D., associate professor and director of the Pediatric Gender Program at Yale School of Medicine, on celebrating diverse identities, dismantling stereotypes, and inspiring confidence.
The publisher’s blurb says that the second child is nonbinary, so I am tagging the book as having such representation, although that isn’t explicit in the text or illustrations. The boy and his dad are White; his mom is Black and uses a wheelchair.
The authors, both former music executives and political advisors, are donating 20% of sales from the book to the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
(Don’t confuse this book with The Rainbow Parade, by Emily Neilson, another (very different) picture book about a child attending a Pride parade with parents.)
