The Rainbow Parade: A Celebration of LGBTQIA+ Identities and Allies

by Shane Jordan, Jieting Chen (Illustrator), Rick Hendrix

Join the celebration at the Rainbow Parade and witness a heartwarming story of acceptance and friendship. In this joyful picture book, LGBTQ+ advocates Shane Jordan and Rick Hendrix take young readers on a colorful journey of self-expression and acceptance.

Set at a stormy pride parade, the story follows a child who is free to express their gender identity, celebrating with their father. But when they come across a non-binary child who doesn't feel comfortable in their own skin, they lend a helping hand and show them that they are seen, accepted, and loved.

Gentle storytelling and stunning illustrations play on the magical experience of finding one's community. Featuring expert back matter, The Rainbow Parade encourages children and gatekeepers to break down stereotypes and embrace diversity.

This book offers a timely and important lesson on the power of love, friendship, and acceptance. Perfect for children of all identities, The Rainbow Parade is a must-have addition to any bookshelf. Let your own rainbow shine with this wonderful story of celebrating who you are and accepting others for who they are. 

Genres: Picture Books, LGBT, Childrens, Queer, Love, Family

32 pages, Hardcover

Published May 21, 2024

Reviews

[April Hilland · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Rainbow Parade" is a heartwarming and inclusive exploration of pride, beautifully illustrated and thoughtfully written. As a teacher-librarian, I am always seeking books that promote diversity and acceptance, and this one does so with grace and charm. Through its vivid depiction of the beauty of rainbows and their symbolic connection to Pride, the book gently encourages readers to celebrate their uniqueness and embrace their true selves. It skillfully conveys the message that while everyone possesses their own individual rainbow, it's sometimes challenging to feel pride in oneself. However, as the narrative unfolds, readers are reminded that when individuals are free to express their authentic selves, the collective radiance shines even brighter.

This enchanting story not only celebrates the LGBTQ+ community but also prompts readers to reflect on what makes them proud. It encourages self-discovery and fosters a sense of empowerment, inspiring readers to embrace their identities and appreciate the diversity that enriches our world. "The Rainbow Parade" is more than just a children's book; it's a powerful tool for promoting inclusivity, self-acceptance, and empathy in the classroom and beyond. With its affirming message and captivating illustrations, it's sure to spark meaningful conversations and leave a lasting impact on young hearts and minds.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book talks about how we are all colors of the rainbow and have more in common with each other than not.

How did this book find me? I found it in a Free Little Library and I’m going to return it.

[Ruby Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Rainbow Parade" is an engaging book for kids of all ages (and adults) about acceptance and being who you are. The illustrations are vibrant and joyful, and a guide at the end opens doors for conversations along with a definition of terms. I would have loved to have had this when I was growing up, and look forward to sharing it now with my grandchild. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for this book. It was colorful and beautiful and so SO important for everyone to read and belongs in every library.

[Lisa Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book with a great message and gorgeous artwork. Be yourself! Be different! Love how different people are!
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

[Mary Foxe · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stuff in the back is excellent for parents. Good illustrations. The main text is fine as a general be proud of yourself narrative. Good message. Would be glad to have this in my library.

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a beautiful, colorful book about acceptance. The illustrations are gorgeous.

[Christine Heron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good story to use with children. The end pages give guidance on how to share this story.

[Sirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

What does it mean to be authentically yourself and proud of your identity? This book explores this concept with lyrical lines and stimulating questions, all set to a backdrop of glorious colors and people with diverse appearances.

My only hesitation with this book is the way it dances on the edge of talking about certain identities, but never quite dives deep into what that means. I love the concept of showing how everyone has different colors (elements of their personality or identity), and it feels good to show those and find support and community. It makes a lot of sense to talk about authenticity in relation to Pride, as everyone feels better when they can be themselves, even if they aren't queer. The book also explores how crushing it can feel to hide your true colors. I enjoyed pondering the questions the narrator poses to the reader, and how could I help but fall in love with the illustrations? There's a lot going on in this book, and while I feel like I have to fill in a lot of blank space, it's something that I'd very much encourage families and classrooms to try for themselves.

[Ziggi Chavez · Rating 5 out of 5]

The blurb and accolades printed in the beginning describe this book as using a soft/gentle approach to teaching about Pride and inclusivity, and that is very accurate. Without the pictures, the words alone do not evoke queer identity, so much as provide a sweet, easy to absorb message of overall acceptance and pride in one’s self, and in the diversity encountered in others. That core message is super important.

The images though, are also quite well done. Page 24 in this hardcover edition particularly was touching. I believe this book a great way of approaching inclusivity from a multitude of ages, from planting those seeds of inclusion to the very young, to showing beauty in diversity again through the imagery when kids are growing up, but also to adults through the end of the book where it includes tips on learning to read and empathize with others to grow in community. This was a solidly composed “warm hug” in children’s book form, and I highly recommend it to being a smile to your face and put a little love and hope back in your heart.

[Grace M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a sweet and powerful picture book. Featured by glaad.org and highly anticipated, this book does not disappoint. I would recommend this book for second to fifth graders. It allowed for a wide variety of celebration and information that gently encouraged young readers to celebrate what makes them happy.
With colorful, representative, and beautiful artwork alongside words such as, "Even when a storm is raining on your parade, remember that the sun will appear again soon. / And do you know what happens when the sun shines through the rain?/ A rainbow appears!"
Celebratory and sweet with inclusive illustrations, this book is a wonderful read. Included in the last page are "Rainbow Reflection" questions and definitions perfect to help guide classroom discussions.
An additional benefit of using this book in your classroom? 20% of all sales go to support the Elton John AIDs Foundation.

The exquisite and fun illustrations feature BIPOC and disabled persons. It truly is a book meant to celebrate everyone.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is based on an ARC.

Super sweet book. My son and I loved it and it was a good taking point for our family. It opened doors to have conversations about identities in a meaningful and tangible way. A great addition to any shelf.

[Troop 30487 LFL 173997 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Rainbow Parade is a beautifully illustrated and colorful book with a strong message about accepting yourself and others, kindness, and celebrating diversity. The book is engaging and makes the reader really consider what the story is trying to point out. Questions like “What makes you the happiest?” “How does it feel to share what you love?” “Your rainbow is made up of all the things that make you happy…. Have you ever felt like you couldn’t show your rainbow?” As my 4th grader read this, she asked us the questions posed in the story and shared her answers with us opening up conversations that many children might not always feel like having. The end of the book provides definitions of different identities and provides talking points about how to help your children understand their own and others identities in a way that is appropriate for children. The purchase of this book is also a donation – 20% of the proceeds will be donated by the authors to benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation. We entered a giveaway for books to add to our Little Free Library and received a print copy of The Rainbow Parade from the publisher. This book is so awesome that I’m excited to place it in our LFL and share it with our neighborhood.

[Jillian Jucik]

Summary: This book follows and young child who is preparing to go to a Pride celebration with their father. The child goes to the parade and observes the bright colors, happiness, and accepting environment where everyone is free to be themselves. The child meets another person about their age who is confused about their identity. The two children talk about love and acceptance, the confused child chooses to identify as non-binary (ChatGPT,2026).

Commentary: I think that bright colors and art in this book make it super fun and enjoyable. There are themes of self-love, expression, and overall happiness. Despite, the heavy topics in this book, it still feels light hearted and playful.

Application: This book is a perfect read for students ages 4 to 10 years (ChatGPT, 2026). I think this book would be great to read at the end of the school year, specifically June for Pride month. It teaches students to be loving, accepting, and to celebrate who they are. Like I said, it is fun and the colors make it very engaging.

[McKenzie Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

For more bookish opinions, visit my blog: Craft-Cycle

A sweet, inclusive book encouraging readers to be true to themselves and support others.

Beautiful, vibrant illustrations wonderfully capture themes of color, joy, and diversity.

Includes some great backmatter on the importance of compassion, pride, empathy, self-worth, and confidence. There are also tips on how to dismantle stereotypes, reflection activities to use with the book, and definitions of related terms. The end note also provides recommended websites for discussing topics in an age-appropriate way with children.

A wonderful book. The text itself is sweet and affirming and the backmatter is really helpful. A lovely book that celebrates the joy of being exactly who you are.

[Kris Dersch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Art is REALLY lovely.
Story is...nice. I think this book wasn't what I was expecting. Based on the subtitle I think I was looking for more nonfiction and information, and this was kind of a yay, celebrate yourself and what makes you proud kind of story that....didn't have a lot of there there. Extensive back matter. It was nice, but please authors can we trust our readers a little bit and put some of that stuff in the story.
If you've never read and uplifting picture book that encourages kids to be themselves with a rainbow theme, this one is a perfectly fine choice. I have, and I've also read books that can be and are much more, so this one gets lost in the shuffle.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful story of acceptance, pride, and self-expression. The illustrations were really inclusiv, colorful, and it matched the tone of the book. The book is written in language that children of all ages would find easy to understand. I liked the definitions in the back of the book and the activities that parents could use to help the reader engage with the material in the book. The book also contains an educational afterword from Yale School of Medicine Associate Professor Christy L. Olezeski.

[Ellon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars (I really liked it)

Even though the book is about rainbows and pride, it actually doesn't even really mention LGBTQIA+ Identities throughout. Instead the text is all about how we all have different colors inside us and things that make us feel proud. There are questions throughout the text for the readers to mull over/discuss like "what makes you feel the happiest? When do you feel pride?" etc. The questions go along with the text on the page. The backmatter does include information about diverse identities. I think this would be a great book to include in my school's collection.

[Riley Yoder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is beautiful. There is no direct mention of sexual or gender identity the book focuses more on being true to yourself as a person, and how people should accept you for who you are. I think where this story really shines is with the art. The art in this book is fantastic with its depiction of color and I think it does a really good job of showing a lot of the LGBT community without being in your face about it. I think this book is wonderful and a really good way of presenting the feelings of the LGBT community without being on the nose about it.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is awesome! It is such an incredible, affirming, and inspiring book for not only the LGBTQ+ community but for all those who love and support them too. The book talks about how we are all born full of colour and all have our own amazing rainbow. For some, having our colours show is easier than it is for others. It's so important for us to support the ones we love and let them be who they are. When we let people be who they are, that is when they shine!
 

[Shanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about being true to yourself and learning to accept others as they are, this book talks about how we can all be better people. It has definitions in the back for every reader to explore. The key to loving people better is learning to understand them and this book helps kids understand that it’s okay to be whoever they are. And it’s okay for others to be that way too.

Mia’s Year of Books: Day 97

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very simple but lovely picture book that should be accessible for really young audiences and sort of subliminally communicate messages of inclusion and being who you are.

I don't know who the authors are, but they must be famous, bc all of the pull quotes are from a kind of ridiculously impressive list of famous people, lol. Very cool that 20% of the proceeds go to the Elton John AIDS foundation though.

I think ultimately this won't be particularly memorable, but I'm glad it exists.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book explaining what it means to belong to a community of like-minded people; in this case, the Rainbow community.

The writing is a bit cheesy and more sophisticated children will see right through the messaging. The book does ask readers some leading questions that offer the opportunity for introspection and open discussion.

[Sable · Rating 5 out of 5]

an absolutely precious and inclusive book for young readers. it’s riddled with lessons on self-love, acceptance, and the joys of life; perfect for learning young people. not to mention the art and color scheme is gorgeous!

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely book about the rainbows inside us and how we shouldn't be afraid to be our colorful selves!

With information and definitions at the end for older children and adults, this is a great book for parents and teachers.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main text is uplifting messaging about being yourself and taking pride in who you are, but what really shines here is the illustrations. They are gorgeous, wonderfully creative, and filled with vibrance and joy.

[Bernardo Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Children have a tendency to be hidden or might be shy. So for this book it is good that this book can help students regardless of who they are build their confidence and become more comfortable in their own shoes which I really think is amazing.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable, not overbearing

This beautiful picture book is more expressing oneself as part of a ainvow, carefully remeining age appropriate. I knocked one star ⭐ off merely due to to so many blurbs and I read everything.

[Diamond Mckay]

This is a joyful and uplifting picture book that celebrates LGBTQ+ pride, identity, and community. It follows a colorful parade where people come together to express who they are, showing a wide range of families, friendships, and identities in a positive and affirming way.

[Nichole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sourcebooks donated a whole BOX of these arcs for my book giveaway booth at Logan County Pride!