You Are My Rainbow

by Michael Joosten, Monge Lua (illustrator)

This loving and inclusive board book celebrates pride in one’s family and in oneself through a beautiful rainbow of colors!

You are my rainbow.
You brighten every day
with your dazzling colors
in so very many ways.

With a rainbow of colors, this board book celebrates the love between parents and their children. Showcasing all different family makeups—one parent, two dads, two moms, and more—the story encourages children to share their colors with the world. This heartfelt message will resonate with all children and parents, and particularly those in the LGBTQIA+ community.

Genres: Picture Books, LGBT, Queer

20 pages, Board Book

Published May 6, 2025

About the author

Michael Joosten is a best-selling author and editor whose titles include My Two Moms & Me, My Two Dads & Me, Pride 1 2 3, and Lady Gaga: A Little Golden Book Biography. His work has been featured in Rolling Stone, Billboard, and Variety. His first book for adults, The Gay Icon's Guide to Life, will be published in spring 2024. He lives in New York City.

Find him on Instagram @michaeljoostenbooks to learn more about upcoming projects, appearances, and personal book recs.

Reviews

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

You Are My Rainbow offers encouragement to young readers whose families lead alternative lifestyles, while also being relevant for conventional families. It runs down the list of every color in the rainbow to show how each one represents hope that however you feel today, the future can be wondrous and bright.

The rainbow is a shimmering promise that paints the sky. Its red is like the warmth and comfort of love, and orange is like dawn's first rays. Yellow is a joyful shine, and green represents youth and potential. Blue can be sad yet beautiful, indigo is a night sky settling in for sleep, and violet is a flower pushing up through soil. Learn how the colors of your personality rainbow work together, and you'll have a unique gift to present the world.

This book is some of Michael Joosten's most expressive writing to that point in his career, while staying away from divisive areas so all readers can appreciate it. I rate You Are My Rainbow two and a half stars, and if the emotion resonated more, I'd go higher. Nice work, Mr. Joosten.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was fine but the colors weren't bright or distinct enough on each page. Since this is mainly about colors, it wasn't effective in conveying that.