My work emails are getting ready for June and Pride Month. One included a list of five picture book titles. One title I was unable to get the online reader link for, two titles I had read before (one of those I was okay, I don’t need to read again, but I had forgotten I had read the second) and they are remarkably different in how they are Prideful. (All read via an online reader and are due May 2024.)
The first I read was Joyful Song : A Naming Story by Lesléa Newman and illustrated by Susan Gal. This was my read-again. The story is simple, a young baby is going to go to her first Sabbbat where she will go through her naming ceremony. Until then, her big brother must keep the name a secret. So as we meet, and invite the neighbors to the celebration, we learn the creative names she has been called. There are extras included that talk more about the traditions of names in the faith, with a little personal addition by the author. The colors used in the illustrations are bold, colorful and the details are rich and plentiful but are not overwhelming. Things all mix together well. The parents in this story are not only a same sex couple, but also multi-racial and their community is widely diverse.
The Rainbow Parade: A Celebration of LGBTQIA+ Identities and Allies was not what I had expected. I assumed, by the cover and the use of the word Identities in the title, it would show the different types of people who are of the queer community. However, it is more of a celebration (as the other word says) about being yourself and being an ally. There are few to little specific identifications, but the extras included cover some of this and other information. There are guides for adults to work with children as well. Shane Jordan, Rick Hendrix and Jieting Chen take a narrator who helps us (the reader) and a child through the process of having the courage to be yourself and come out and participate. They wrap this acceptance in amazingly warm, bright and bold colors with minimal details, but keep the pages filled.
I like a good LGBTQ+ story, but what about allies? Why aren’t they included in more younger books? With Rainbow Allies: The True Story of Kids Who Stood Against Hate, I found my allies. The real couple and some of the community members involved spoke with Nancy Churnin about a Massachusetts town that was like many little towns, but claimed to be accepting of everyone. However, one day a woman and her wife came home to find their rainbow flag stolen, house egged and dogs traumatized. Their young friend got his friends together, brainstormed and with the help of the community got their title of Welcoming Community back. It is a lovely story of friendship and standing up to hate. Extras are fantastic and allow adults and children to work together on ways to help their community. The illustrations of Izzy Evans are fun, cozy, colorful and expressive but are not popping off the page in your face. Everything works together, like a community should.