O.K. is short for Olivio Kipling. And O.K. is happy he met George, with whom he is obviously in love. He can’t wait to tell his friends, but everytime he begins to say “I am gay and …” his friends interrupt to complete his sentence.
“And you built a treetop fort with an elevator,” says one. “And badminton is your favorite sport,” says another. It goes on like this for a while, as author/illustrator Vincent X. Kirsch’s illustrations show O.K. gathering flowers, plants, and butterflies with each conversation, each in a different color of the rainbow. O.K.’s friends clearly know a lot about him, but why won’t they let him tell them about this aspect of his life?
Finally, O.K. encounters George, carrying the same things. He’s clearly been speaking with the same people, and indeed, it seems he’s told them all about O.K. He’s been waiting for O.K. to be there before he tells them one important thing, however. He and O.K. then loudly declare that they belong together, and their friends smile at them approvingly.
Interrupting people who are coming out to you isn’t usually a recommended response, but the friends’ remarks here seem to show that they realize being gay is just one aspect of who O.K. is—and the ending indicates that they’re giving the duo the space to announce their coupledom together. It’s sweet and gently silly, and Kirsch’s illustrations are bright and whimsical.
O.K. and George are White; their friends have diverse skin and hair tones.
