Marley's Pride

by Joëlle Retener, DeAnn Wiley (Illustrator)

Overview

A 2025 American Library Association Stonewall Children's Honor Book!

ALA Rainbow Book List – Top 10 Titles for Younger Readers, 2025

★ “A Black nonbinary child finds ways to navigate their sensory sensitivities during Pride . . . Joyfully affirming” – Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Marley is a little nonbinary kid with BIG anxieties. Crowds? Pass. Loud noises? No, thanks! But when their Zaza is up for an award at the Pride parade, they want to go to support their beloved grandparent. Can Marley overcome their fears and even find a new sense of belonging?

• Features endmatter about the history of Pride and a glossary of terms to help adults answer kids' questions about the LGBTQ+ community.
• Shows coping mechanisms for social anxiety and sensory sensitivities.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798888590744
Publisher:	Barefoot Books
Publication date:	04/02/2024
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 9.75(h) x 0.34(d)
Lexile:	600L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 9 Years

About the Author

Joëlle Retener (they/them) is a Kreyol American children’s author from the Washington, DC, metro area. A proud Spelman College graduate, Joëlle is passionate about sharing stories that celebrate Black pride and Queer joy. When they are not writing, you can find them gardening or tending to their small homestead. Joëlle lives in a cabin in the woods with their partner and three tiny humans.

DeAnn Wiley (she/her) is a self-taught illustrator with a Master’s degree in counseling psychology, born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. She advocates for social justice from the intersection of multiple identities — Black, Woman, Queer, and disabled — and she stands in solidarity with communities of which she is not a member. When she is not painting, she’s learning, growing, and healing, with each phase of her journey depicted in her art. DeAnn is the illustrator of Sarah Rising, the Sunday Adventures series, and her author-illustrator debut, Homegrown

Editorial Reviews

★ 2024-02-03
A Black nonbinary child finds ways to navigate their sensory sensitivities during Pride.

Every June, Marley wants nothing more than to join their grandparent Zaza at the Pride celebrations. And every June, just the thought of big crowds and loud noises makes Marley tense up with nerves, and, with a mixture of relief and disappointment, they tell Zaza to go without them. But this year, Zaza is receiving an award for their work with the trans community, and Marley refuses to miss it. Luckily, Marley has plenty of tools at their disposal—affirmations, breath work, noise-canceling headphones, and a stuffy to hug—and when the noise and bustle become overwhelming, Zaza is there to literally lift them up and remind them that, party or no, Pride is community and Marley is not alone. By the day’s end, Marley has made new friends, celebrated their grandparent, and soaked up the sustaining joy of belonging. Retener’s refreshingly inclusive tale lets young readers with sensory sensitivities see themselves not only in a book, but at Pride as well. Notably, the author makes clear that inaccessibility, not sensory needs, is the problem to be solved. Just as important is the inclusion modeled in Wiley’s vivid illustrations, which depict a Black queer protagonist, multiple gender-expansive and -exploring support characters, and intergenerational queer representation. Color-saturated, cut-paper-style spreads capture the exuberance and cacophony of Pride celebration yet give both Marley and readers visual breathing room. Zaza is Black; other characters are diverse.

Joyfully affirming. (glossary, the history of Pride) (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews

★ “A Black nonbinary child finds ways to navigate their sensory sensitivities during Pride . . . Joyfully affirming” – Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“This sensitive work will be a valuable teaching tool to support children with questions concerning themselves or their friends” – School Library Journal
 

★ “Retener celebrates the communal spirit of Pride in this lively intersectional jaunt, which respects Marley’s boundaries through open communication” – Publishers Weekly, starred review
 

"From its bright and colourful cover, Marley’s Pride is a whirlwind of cheer and a celebration of being trans, Black and neurodivergent.” - Inis Magazine

“A helpful and sensitive book to support children with questions they might have about LGBTQ+ issues” – JUNO magazine
 

★ “Here’s a Pride Month picture book that gets it right . . . Marley’s journey of managing anxiety and finding their people will engage young readers on a deeper level, giving context and cause to the all the symbology that colors Pride” – Booklist, starred review
 

“A rich, inclusive picture book for 5+, particularly focused on nonbinary identities, which treats sensory issues with warm understanding” – The Guardian
 

ALA Rainbow Book List – Top 10 Titles for Younger Readers, 2025

From the Publisher