A vibrant, valuable and necessary child-friendly history lesson from Joanna McClintock and Juana Medina. On a warm evening in June, lots of people are busy making preparations for a special day. Drag queens brush wigs, bikers pump up tyres, outfits are planned, instruments are polished and tuned. In one household, a family are filled with excitement for the big day. Snacks packed, flags and signs made and a history lesson shared. Tomorrow is Pride and it is time for a party where everyone is welcome… The familiar rhyming tone of ’Twas the Night Before Christmas provides a buoyant soundtrack to this glorious rainbow-coloured celebration that puts Pride in the spotlight and pays homage to those that bravely battled for equality, fighting injustices and oppression, to have their rights as LGBTQ+ recognised, accepted and respected. Told from the perspective of a young child with same sex parents, joy, love and happiness radiate from every page. Preparations are made for the big day and the significance of the Pride march is shared with the youngest member of the family. Difficult historical content of the Stonewall Riots and the early Pride and AIDS marches highlights important struggles that had to be overcome. It always staggers me that such vitriol and hatred towards a whole community of people existed only a few decades ago. And whilst there is still much to be done, Pride festivals and books like this help future generations to be tolerant and accepting of all and encourage everyone to be themselves and live their best lives.
A wonderfully entertaining and inclusive way to teach children the history and significance of Pride. I also discovered that the endpapers feature more than eighty prominent figures from the LGBTQ+ community - I would have loved a key that identifies who’s who. A fabulous clip of Joanna discussing her debut picture book is available here. Recommended for 4+. With huge thanks to Walker for the copy I received in exchange for an honest review.
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