Comedian and singer Randy Rainbow’s first picture book joins the many titles that show a colorful, queer-coded character finding self-confidence in the face of bullying.
Randy wasn’t like the other boys in his class. Everyone dressed in dull colors, but he wore flashy suits and sparkly bow ties. Other kids played sports; he practiced singing Broadway tunes. When the popular kids at school harassed him and called him a “weirdo,” Randy tried to dress dully as well, but was clearly miserable.
His grandmother advised that he “just crack a joke and carry on”—but also gave him a pair of sparkly pink glasses, which she said had magic powers. They would allow him to be anything and anywhere he wanted.
He tries them the next day at school, imagining himself giving snappy retorts from a stage when other kids tease him. The glasses also work at the doctor’s office and in other scary situations. His new confidence leads to newfound popularity at school, and he even (somewhat unbelievably) accepts an invitation to the birthday party of the boys who bullied him. On the way, however, the glasses break—and his grandmother reveals that they’re not magic at all. Randy’s confidence actually came from within.
At the party, called a “weirdo” again, Randy summons his own strength this time and keeps dancing joyously. The other kids see how much fun he’s having and join in, too.
The book’s message of finding inner strength is an admirable one, but the execution feels weak. The narrative is wordy, and the ending feels simplistic and unrealistic. As much as self-confidence is important for resilience in the face of bullying, the responsibility shouldn’t all be on the victim to joke and dance away from harm. At no point are the bullies told to stop calling Randy names.
The storyline is also one we’ve seen before. It feels very similar to I Am a Rainbow! by Mark Kanemura (another celebrity author, as happens), about a colorful, gender creative boy with a magic cape that gives him confidence in the face of bullying, and who loses the item, along with his confidence, before being reminded of his inner strength. Randy Rainbow is also one of numerous titles (including I Am a Rainbow!, The Rainbow Sheep, The Rainbow Bee, They’re So Flamboyant, A Peacock Among Pigeons, and Linus) that uses an analogy of being colorful for being queer, contrasting it with the colorless tones (and rejecting attitudes) of everyone else. For part of the queer community, this analogy may resonate, and I respect that, but as a plot point, it verges on overdone.
The message here is positive, however, and theatrically minded readers in particular may appreciate it.
Randy and his grandmother are White.
