Rainbow: A First Book of Pride

by Michael Genhart, Anne Passchier (Illustrator)

Overview

“A joyous tribute to LGBTQ families.” —Publishers Weekly

A must-have primer for young readers and a great gift for pride events and throughout the year, beautiful colors all together make a rainbow in Rainbow: A First Book of Pride.

This is a sweet ode to rainbow families, and an affirming display of a parent's love for their child and a child's love for their parents. With bright colors and joyful families, this book celebrates LGBTQ+ pride and reveals the colorful meaning behind each rainbow stripe in a simple and engaging format for young readers. Readers will celebrate the life, healing, light, nature, harmony, and spirit that the rainbows in this book will bring.

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781433830877
Publisher:	American Psychological Association
Publication date:	05/07/2019
Pages:	24
Sales rank:	168,516
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	240L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 6 Years

About the Author

Michael Genhart, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice in San Francisco.He is the acclaimed author of many picture books, including Love is Love, I See You, Ouch! Moments, So Many Smarts!, Cake & I Scream!, Mac & Geeez!, Peanut Butter & Jellyous, among other titles.
He lives with his rainbow family in Marin County, California.

Anne Passchier is an illustrator and designer from The Netherlands. They are currently living in Cleveland, Ohio. 
 

Editorial Reviews

04/01/2019

In a festive introduction to Pride that doubles as a color primer, Genhart shows readers the meaning behind each hue in the rainbow flag: “Every color means something.” Scenes by Passchier show diverse, smiling figures taking part in everyday activities. Two parents and their child explore a forest brightly colored in shades of green (“Green is nature”), and families visit an outdoor market with blue booths (“Blue is harmony”). Rainbows, Genhart writes, are universally loved: they “make the world smile.” In a final spread, families are seen waving Pride flags and walking together in solidarity (“Be happy. Be love. Be proud”). A joyous tribute to LGBTQ families. Ages 3–5. (May)

Publishers Weekly

A positive tool for celebrating a wide range of human diversity and all kids of familial love.” —Booklist

“A win for LBGTQIA+ families and libraries seeking to diversify their shelves.” —School Library Journal

“A joyous tribute to LGBTQ families.” —Publishers Weekly

“A welcome addition to rainbow bookshelves.” —Kirkus Reviews

“A bright introduction to the colors of Pride and images of LGBTQ families.” —Mombian

“Imagine if we lived in a world where picture books were more like this one?” —Unleashing Readers

“A primer that celebrates LGBTQ+ families by exploring the colorful meaning behind each rainbow stripe. It describes parental love and also the love a child holds for their parents. This is a much needed book.” —Book Riot

“Though it may be geared toward children 2-5 years old, this title can even teach clueless adults a thing or two…. offers a sweet introduction to the rainbow flag and is a welcome addition to Pride reading lists everywhere.” —Rainbow Round Table Book and Media Reviews

“This reaffirming look at rainbow families emphasizes their love and identity.” —Oregon Coast Youth Book Preview Center

“A vibrant and inclusive book that celebrates the diverse rainbow of families and the love that brings people together.  Told with bold and and spirited illustrations, the rainbow comes to mean so much more than individual colors but represents the pride, power and unity that exist when they all are celebrated together.”  —Jesica Sweedler DeHart, Librarian and Influencer, @WanderingBookseller

“Michael has written something simple and powerful, and Anne's illustrations are inclusive of many kinds of LGBTQ families, made up of many colors and types of people.” —I’m Here. I’m Queer. What the Hell Do I Read?

“It can’t help but put a smile on your face.” —Children’s Books Heal

“This colorful book is so uplifting and a great introduction to what the pride flag and pride mean to the LGBTQ+ community.” —No Time for Flashcards

From the Publisher

05/01/2019

Toddler-PreS–Clinical psychologist Genhart's latest book introduces some of the youngest readers to the symbolism behind each stripe of the famous rainbow flag. Confetti endpapers lead to an opening scene with a cluster of flags held aloft. A page turn reveals an exuberant, racially diverse group of kids each holding up a rainbow flag of their own. Subsequent spreads go through the colors one after the other. Each spread also depicts same-sex couples (some interracial) lovingly interacting with their children. The result is a joyful celebration of rainbow families and the way the day-to-day brings out the six meanings of the flag: life, healing, sunlight, nature, harmony, and spirit. Passchier's colorful cartoon style casts many characters in the same simplistic mold. Still, the scenes shine a noteworthy and positive light on LGBTQIA+ parenting. The illustrations also augment Genhart's economical text to expand the story, striking a good balance between depicting families in isolated scenes and as part of a larger, not exclusively LGBTQIA+ community. A final page goes further to suggest global pride via several flag-waving individuals in front of cultural landmarks. Though excellent for anytime sharing, the text functions as a wonderful bridge between Stevenson's Pride Colors, Sanders and Salerno's Pride, and Pitman and Clifton-Brown's Sewing the Rainbow —the latter two of which expand on the flag's origins for older readers. VERDICT A win for LBGTQIA+ families and libraries seeking to diversify their shelves.—Alec Chunn, Eugene Public Library, OR

School Library Journal

2019-03-03

A pleasant look at the rainbow flag.

Tailor-made for LGBTQ-pride storytimes, this self-described "first book of pride" looks at the six-color rainbow flag and dissects the meaning behind each color. Genhart's text is set primarily in single sentences across each double-page spread, with a longer summation on the final page. Fans of Todd Parr's books will find the formatting (if not the colors) familiar. Like Parr's work, the text is simple, with one or two multisyllabic words per page, which nicely allows for breakaway moments to "clap out" syllables or have a discussion about a reach word. Passchier's illustrations—bright, serviceable, and most likely digital—capture a range of skin tones and ethnicities but, sadly, not a range of ages among adults depicted. LGBTQ grandparents, for instance, won't find themselves, as all the characters appear as either children or young caregivers. The illustrations adequately enhance the text throughout, although the image for violet's representation of "spirit" (a smiling child finger painting in a purple room) may have adult readers pausing to make the connection. A page of international pride further along in the book is lovely but aspirational, as some of the suggested nations (Egypt, for example) still struggle with LGBTQ acceptance compared to Western Europe and the United States.

A welcome addition to rainbow bookshelves and a potential workhorse in June. (Picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus Reviews