Rainbow Allies: The True Story of Kids Who Stood against Hate

by Nancy Churnin, Izzy Evans (Illustrator)

Overview

A true story of allyship and standing up to anti-LGBTQ hate.

A 2025 Notable Social Studies Trade Book Winner

When a lesbian couple comes home one day to find their Pride flag stolen and their front porch egged, the sense of belonging they had felt in their community is threatened. Are they safe in their house? The support they need comes from an unexpected place—the neighborhood's children. Together, the local kids create a plan to show Cari and Lauri just how valued they are in the community.

Based on real-life events, Rainbow Allies tells the story of how a Massachusetts neighborhood rallied together around Cari and Lauri—and their dogs, Twink and Scout—to make them feel welcomed and loved again after an act of hate. Written by multi-award-winning author Nancy Churnin, this book is an inspiring introduction to allyship for young readers and changemakers.

Backmatter includes guidance for how children can be LGBTQ allies in their own communities.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781506488448
Publisher:	Augsburg Fortress, Publishers
Publication date:	07/09/2024
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Nancy Churnin is an award-winning children's book author who lives in North Texas. Nancy won the 2021 National Jewish Book Award, the 2022 Sydney Taylor Honor, and the First Place—Children's Book Nonfiction awards from the National Federation of Press Women and Press Women of Texas for Dear Mr. Dickens. She has also won honors for Manjhi Moves a Mountain, along with many others, as well as starred reviews from School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, and Publishers Weekly.

Izzy Evans is an illustrator, animator, and weekend flapjack baker from North London, England. Their work is best known for its diverse characters, gentle humor, and the occasional unicorn.

Editorial Reviews

"This critical message of community, unconditional love, respect, and allyship will resonate particularly during these turbulent times of political and social unrest." —The Bay Area Reporter

"Churnin's telling is sturdy and impassioned about the message, that everyone is welcome. It's worth repeating, again and again. A little good news, for once, amplified into an easy book to work into community, LGBTQIA+, politics, and civics units." —School Library Journal

"Based on a true story, this touching picture book demonstrates that hate can always be overcome by love and community—and suggests some age-appropriate methods for being part of the solution." —Foreword Reviews

"Deftly written and based on a real event, Rainbow Allies by author/storyteller Nancy Churnin is an inspiring picture book read for young readers and aspiring changemakers." —Midwest Book Review

"A purposeful yet poignant exploration of allyship." —Kirkus Reviews

"Churnin's step-by-step narration and Evans's crisp neighborhood landscapes bolster this straightforward allyship-oriented picture book based on real events." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

06/01/2024

K-Gr 4—Right out of the headlines, this story of a neighborhood where everyone is welcome may sound too good to be true, but sometimes people are just that incredible. Everyone takes care of one another in Natick, MA, and "When Cari, one of the neighbors, married, everyone was happy to meet her wife, Lauri. Their dogs, Twink and Scout, were welcomed too." Then in 2016, Cari and Lauri returned to their home to find their rainbow flag missing, their house egged, and Twink and Scout terrified. The couple was in despair and a little afraid. The children in the community gathered enough rainbow flags for any household that wanted one. Everyone flew the flags high. This gesture not only comforted the couple but was then modeled by neighboring communities. The only false note is in the colorful digital illustrations, where there are no driveways or sidewalks; the tidy houses sit like unused boxes in one charming scene after another of idyllic rolling hills. Children will glide past this detail and fall in love with the message that hate did not win. Churnin's telling is sturdy and impassioned about the message, that everyone is welcome. It's worth repeating, again and again. VERDICT A little good news, for once, amplified into an easy book to work into community, LGBTQIA+, politics, and civics units.—Ginnie Abbott

School Library Journal

2024-04-05
A neighborhood comes together after a shocking act of vandalism.

In the town of Natick, Massachusetts, in a welcoming and supportive neighborhood, Cari and Lauri, an older lesbian couple, proudly put up a rainbow flag outside their home with the help of three local kids. One day, Cari and Lauri find their house egged and their rainbow flag missing in an apparent hate crime. Upset by this turn of events, the couple tell the kids that they don’t feel comfortable putting the flag back up. After spitballing ideas from building a wall around the home and keeping watch over the front porch to finding the culprits themselves and then egging their home, the children decide to give rainbow flags to everyone in the community; they in turn display them outside their own homes. This tale is based on a similar incident that happened in 2016 in the real town of Natick. While the ending may be tidy and pat, with some awkward phrasing, it’s an age-appropriate way to show young readers how to support those communities most in need of support. Despite the subject matter, optimism pervades both the text and Evans' sunny illustrations. Backmatter includes an author’s note and a basic primer on how to be an LGBTQ+ ally. Cari and Lauri are light-skinned; their community is a diverse one.

A purposeful yet poignant exploration of allyship. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews