Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag

by Rob Sanders, Steven Salerno (Illustrator)

Overview

JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION • Celebrate Pride and it's iconic rainbow flag—a symbol of inclusion and acceptance around the world— with the very first picture book to tell its remarkable and inspiring history!

"Pride is a beacon of (technicolor) light." —Entertainment Weekly

In this deeply moving and empowering true story, young readers will trace the life of the Gay Pride Flag, from its beginnings in 1978 with social activist Harvey Milk and designer Gilbert Baker to its spanning of the globe and its role in today's world. Award-winning author Rob Sanders's stirring text, and acclaimed illustrator Steven Salerno's evocative images, combine to tell this remarkable - and undertold - story. A story of love, hope, equality, and pride.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780399555312
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	04/10/2018
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	65,548
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

ROB SANDERS is an acclaimed writer who teaches, and a teacher who writes. He is the author of Cowboy Christmas, Crystal Kite-winner Outer Space Bedtime Race, Ruby Rose - Off to School She Goes, Ruby Rose - Big Bravos, Rodzilla, and Peaceful Fights for Equal Rights. Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag is Rob’s first non-fiction picture book. Rob lives in Florida where he teaches elementary school. Visit him at robsanderswrites.com

STEVEN SALERNO is the author/illustrator of Coco the Carrot, Little Tumbo, Harry Hungry!, Wild Child, and Tim’s Goodbye. He has also illustrated 24 popular picture books including Brothers at Bat (a New York Times Book Review's Notable Picture Book of the Year), The Kid from Diamond Street, The Fantastic Ferris Wheel, Goldenlocks and the Three Pirates, 19 Girls and Me, and Margaret Wise Brown’s The Dirty Little Boy. A graduate of Parsons School of Design in NYC, he lives and works in Manhattan. Visit him at stevensalerno.com

Read an Excerpt

“You have to give them hope. Hope for a better world, hope for a better tomorrow. . . .”
(Continues…)

---

Excerpted from "Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Rob Sanders.
Excerpted by permission of Random House Children's Books.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

---

Editorial Reviews

05/07/2018
In a poignant and uplifting biography of Milk, Sanders introduces the political activist through his crusade for human rights: “Harvey dreamed that everyone—even gay people—would have equality. He dreamed that he and his friends would be treated like everyone else.” To realize this dream, Sanders explains, Milk became “one of the first openly gay people to be elected to political office in the United States,” when he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. Wanting a potent symbol to represent the fight for gay rights, Milk asked artist Gilbert Baker to create a flag: “Volunteers arrived to help Gilbert’s design come to life. Together they dipped fabric into large barrels filled with vivid, bright dyes.” Salerno conveys Milk’s likeness in gently expressive cartoons; he fills his background spreads with decorative, paisley print designs, and the unfurled rainbow flag is a recurring motif. After the assassinations of Milk and San Francisco mayor George Moscone (communicated through a newspaper headline, reading: “Moscone, Milk Killed”), Milk’s message of acceptance and love is carried onward through the pride flag and those who wave it. Biographical notes include timelines and photographs of Milk and fellow activists. Ages 5–8. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

PRAISE FOR PRIDE!

A Junior Library Guild Selection

"An essential LGBTQ children's book"
- Out.com

"This children’s book about gay Pride should be in every school."
- Gay Times Magazine

"The picture book about Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag is everything you needed as a kid."
- LGBTQ Nation

"I couldn’t be more thrilled the world now has this book."
- Dustin Lance Black, Academy Award-winning screenwriter of MILK

"This inspiring, positive story is a great introduction to two LGBTQ heroes and to the spirit of the LGBTQ community."
- Pridesource.com

"A welcome social history . . . Mission accomplished."
- The San Francisco Chronicle

"A children’s book that will properly express the struggle and joys that the LGBTQ rights movement went through."
- Instinct Magazine

★ "Offers little ones an age-appropriate introduction . . . Ebullient . . ."
- Shelf Awareness, starred review

"An uplifting introduction to the symbol of the Rainbow Flag . . . Vibrant and lively . . . Recommended for all collections." 
- School Library Journal

"A biography LGBTQ rights activists and allies can proudly share with children . . . A hope-filled ode to the rainbow flag."
- Kirkus Reviews

"A poignant and uplifting biography."
- Publishers Weekly

"A tribute to a leader undertreated in young people’s literature."
- The Bulletin of the Center For Children’s Books

"Salerno’s strong art has a colorful seventies vibe . . . There is value here."
- Booklist

"Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and The Rainbow Flag beautifully tells the history of both Uncle Harvey's dream and his collaboration with Gilbert Baker to create a global symbol of equality and inclusion. This book tells a history that all children will cherish, and will inspire the next generation of hope givers, our world's youth"
- Stuart Milk, Founder and President of the Harvey Milk Foundation

“Harvey Milk and Gilbert Baker showed LGBTQ people that they should be proud of who they are and who they love. That is exactly what we do at The Trevor Project for LGBTQ youth in crisis. We’re thrilled that more young people will learn the story behind the original rainbow flag.”
- Amit Paley, Trevor Project CEO and Executive Director

From the Publisher

02/01/2018
Gr 1–3—Written in direct, accessible language, this book opens with a quote from Harvey Milk about hope, the connecting theme of this uplifting introduction to the symbol of the Rainbow Flag. The text starts with Milk's choice to enter politics and Gilbert Baker's design of the first flag and connects that to the flag's modern appearances as a symbol of equality and pride and the use of it on June 26, 2015 across the White House. The illustrations are vibrant and lively, taking inspiration from 1970s fashions and styles while emphasizing the effectiveness of symbols. The narrative includes references to opposition to Milk's dream of equality and the assassination of Milk and George Moscone, but moves decisively on to tell of enduring hope, with an illustration of the candlelight vigil and the persistence of the rainbow flag as an icon. Biographical notes include more information on the flag, Milk, Baker, and the significance of the June 16, 2014 rainbow lights across the White House. The back matter also includes two time lines, a few suggested books and websites, and assorted photographs related to the story. VERDICT With its emphasis on pride and hope, this title will make a strong addition to classroom and school library collections to support discussions of character and equality. Recommended for all collections.—Amanda Foulk, Sacramento Public Library

School Library Journal

2018-01-22
A hope-filled ode to the rainbow flag, the LGBTQ rights movement's most prominent symbol.The flag's story begins with Harvey Milk, a young man with a "dream" for equality. In 1977, Milk becomes one of the first openly gay people to be elected to U.S. political office. As Milk marches toward his dream through protests and rallies, he works with artist Gilbert Baker to come up with a unifying symbol for the movement. In 1978, the rainbow flag makes its debut in San Francisco. Later that year, Milk is assassinated, but the flag continues to unify, sending his message of hope to LGBTQ individuals all over the world. Milk's flag becomes "a dream for us all." Though he mentions Baker, Sanders spotlights Milk instead as the flag's mastermind. The text mentions some iterations of the flag but stops short of including those revisions that match identities often excluded from the movement. Still, the visual references to important LGBTQ milestones will make supporters cheer. Salerno's retro style—detailed but fluid drawings of figures set against paisley-patterned backgrounds—gives fitting, '70s-era bohemian undertones. The crowds Milk addresses are largely as white as he is, but later illustrations nod to diversity within the LGBTQ population. Photographs of Milk, Baker, and other moments in the movement are appended.A biography LGBTQ rights activists and allies can proudly share with children. (biographical notes, timeline, bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 4-9)

Kirkus Reviews