Pride Colors

April 1, 2019
Stevenson captures the essence of Pride celebrations in this board book. Vibrant photographs feature diverse families accompanied by affirming statements that reference a full rainbow of colors. A smiling child holds a heart balloon:
“A bright red heart, a little star./ I love you just the way you are.” Two mothers snuggle a baby in one photograph; in another, two fathers and a child laugh together: “I’ll love the person/ you grow to be.” A key to the symbolism behind each color rounds out this volume: red stands for “life,” orange for “healing,” yellow for “sunlight,” green for “nature,” blue for “peace, harmony,” and purple for “spirit.” Pride is an expansive celebration with room for all who love and cherish others, Stevenson conveys. Ages up to 2.

June 1, 2013

Gr 4-7-Jack desperately wants to break some sort of world record because he believes that by doing so he can restore his family to what it was before his sister died of SIDS. Stevenson vividly portrays how Annie's death affects the whole family. Jack's mom suffers from depression, barely getting out of bed each day. Jack and his father neglect all but the basic necessities, including the fallout shelter Jack's dad began before Annie died. It is when the 12-year-old finds Kate, a girl whose family has relocated from the United States to Canada, that he begins the healing process. Kate and her mother are like a balm to Jack and his mother, and the catalysts behind a positive turning point for the family. The author injects much-needed humor into the story through Jack's failed record-breaking attempts and Kate's inability to play the recorder or cook. Historical references, like the JFK assassination and the specter of the Cold War, ground the novel in the early 1960s. Jack's emotions, particularly the fear and guilt he feels, and his preoccupation with the family's situation, are realistic. This is a compelling novel, even with the weighty subject, and many of the characters are well rounded and believable. The author also brings hope to Jack's family and readers without giving the story a pat ending. A solid offering.-Hilary Writt, Sullivan University, Lexington, KY

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 21, 2013
It’s 1963, the world is in turmoil, and so is the life of 12-year-old Jack in small-town Canada. Ever since the sudden death of his newborn sister nearly a year ago, Jack has been starved for attention; he hopes to snap his parents out of mourning and make them proud by breaking a world record. “A few weeks ago I tried to eat twenty-four raw eggs in less than two minutes and eleven seconds but threw up after the first seven,” he says. “Eggs, not minutes.” Jack’s resilience and sense of humor prove to be crucial assets as his father builds a fallout shelter, his depressed mother stays in bed, and President Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald are assassinated. When Jack meets an independent-minded new girl named Kate, it improves his iffy friendship with his irritating cousin Allan, who feeds Jack’s fears that his family might be cursed. Stevenson (Hummingbird Heart) gives Jack a straightforward yet sensitive narrative voice, constructing a believable portrait of the anxiety of this moment in history, as well as of how scary and lonely childhood can be. Ages 9–12.

Starred review from February 1, 2019

Toddler-PreS-Stevenson's first board book shares LGBTQIA+ Pride with the youngest readers in a joyful, accessible format. Rhyming verses cycle through the six colors of the traditional Pride flag, starting with red: "A bright red heart, a little star. /I love you just the way you are." Full-page color photographs accompany the text's journey, depicting gleeful children either wearing or interacting with the individual colors. Two children walking hand-in-hand appear next to text that reads "Be yourself./Love who you choose." Several pages later, a child traverses a rainbow sidewalk. The message in the verse: "A whole wide world is here for you." The final image-a toddler in rainbow tutu grasping a small rainbow flag-suggests attendance at a Pride parade or other celebration. The back matter provides a brief summary of Pride and the meaning behind each color of the flag (red, for example, signifies life). While all the images focus on children as their subject, two also depict caregivers who present as same-sex couples. The children are diverse in skin tone; the grown-ups all present as white. Books for this age group with realistic photos are few and far between-and more are sorely needed. Awash in messages (and images) of love and the celebration of individuality, this dual concept book highlights LGBTQIA+ families in a positive, glittery light. VERDICT A rare treat for both Pride Day and everyday sharing. Essential for all libraries serving young children and their caregivers.-Alec Chunn, Eugene Public Library, OR

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 15, 2019
A good thing comes in a small, rainbow package. It's unusual for board books to include backmatter, but this one does, and it provides context for the prior spreads' loving verse and colorful photographs, arranged in the familiar six-color Pride flag sequence. "Everyone is welcome at Pride! The rainbow flag is a colorful symbol of LGBTQ Pride," reads this text, which unfortunately fails to credit Gilbert Baker with creating the flag. It also doesn't acknowledge efforts to include more colors and designs to mark efforts to make the LGBTQ+ movement more inclusive in terms of racial and gender diversity. But, here's what this board book does very, very well: It sends a message of unconditional love to the implied child audience, and it affirms familial and racial diversity. Each color has two spreads. The first introduces the hue with a line of text and is accompanied by a stock photo of a child that somehow highlights that color. The second spread in each pair then shifts to directly address both the depicted child and child readers. For example, "YELLOW SUNSHINE, smiles so bright" introduces yellow with a grinning, light-skinned child wearing a yellow jacket. The next spread reads, "I'll hug you, kiss you, hold you tight," and shows a baby snuggled by people who read as two moms. A joyful, affirming, pride-filled read. (Board book. 6 mos.-4)

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