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Pride 1 2 3
Celebrate and march along in the Pride Parade with this lively counting board book!
1 parade in the month of June
2 DJs spin fabulous tunes
3 families of all different types
4 activists fight the good fight
Teach your little ones about the Pride Parade with this colorful, energetic counting book! Featuring a diverse cast of characters and families, this board book highlights and celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community, love, and standing up for who you are while counting to ten. Perfect for all families, this counting board book should be shared and read with pride!
1 parade in the month of June
2 DJs spin fabulous tunes
3 families of all different types
4 activists fight the good fight
Teach your little ones about the Pride Parade with this colorful, energetic counting book! Featuring a diverse cast of characters and families, this board book highlights and celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community, love, and standing up for who you are while counting to ten. Perfect for all families, this counting board book should be shared and read with pride!
22 pages, Board Book
First published May 5, 2020
63 people want to read
About the author
Michael Joosten
21 books7 followersMichael 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.
Find him on Instagram @michaeljoostenbooks to learn more about upcoming projects, appearances, and personal book recs.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 10, 2022
i really appreciate you @ 🦄💵
February 21, 2025
Not every Michael Joosten book is themed on alternative lifestyles, but several are, and Pride 1 2 3 is a natural fit with his literary oeuvre. Joosten and illustrator Wednesday Holmes offer an assortment of pride-related scenes to assist children learning how to count to ten. Lack of color is not a problem in this book.
All the objects counted are related to pride parades, so first comes “one” parade meaningfully held in June. We see a pair of DJs spinning cool songs for the crowd, a trio of nontraditional families, a quartet of smiling social activists, and five motorcycles gunning their engines to please parade spectators. Six parade floats are decked out with artsy flair, seven performance artists strut their stuff, and eight cardboard signs are held high to support those showing pride. We see nine individuals united by common cause, followed by ten flags demonstrating various kinds of pride. It's a fun parade, beginning to end.
Author and illustrator maintain a lighthearted tone, and the book's colors please the eye, but Pride 1 2 3 has limited value for teaching counting. Many of the objects are difficult to track on the page, such as the three families and five motorcycles. I enjoy Joosten and Holmes's optimistic tenor, but Pride 1 2 3 is more a fun souvenir than a functional counting book. That's my main criticism, but for that I can't rate it above one and a half stars.
All the objects counted are related to pride parades, so first comes “one” parade meaningfully held in June. We see a pair of DJs spinning cool songs for the crowd, a trio of nontraditional families, a quartet of smiling social activists, and five motorcycles gunning their engines to please parade spectators. Six parade floats are decked out with artsy flair, seven performance artists strut their stuff, and eight cardboard signs are held high to support those showing pride. We see nine individuals united by common cause, followed by ten flags demonstrating various kinds of pride. It's a fun parade, beginning to end.
Author and illustrator maintain a lighthearted tone, and the book's colors please the eye, but Pride 1 2 3 has limited value for teaching counting. Many of the objects are difficult to track on the page, such as the three families and five motorcycles. I enjoy Joosten and Holmes's optimistic tenor, but Pride 1 2 3 is more a fun souvenir than a functional counting book. That's my main criticism, but for that I can't rate it above one and a half stars.
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November 26, 2020This book is fine? The illustrations are exuberant, and include lots of diversity, but I'm not sure how well it functions as a counting book? The bright colors of every part of the illustrations makes me struggle to differentiate singular items (leaving aside things like "1 parade in the month of June" -- a parade isn't really a singular item for a child) because so often the illustration feels like a wall of color.
I do appreciate the diversity. The very first illustration, in addition to racial/ethnic diversity, includes a wheelchair user (who recurs in 4; and someone else uses a mobility aid in 9) and the non-binary Pride flag as well as the Philly Pride flag. And the crowd of people with flags at the end ("10 waving flags fly brightly with pride") include 2 Philly Pride flags, 1 non-binary Pride flag, 1 pansexual Pride flag, 2 intersex Pride flags, 2 trans Pride flags? (1 blue/pink/white/pink/blue and 1 pink/white/blue), 1 trans-ace flag? (pink/white/black/blue), and 1 bisexual Pride flag. (I do wish there were a brief back matter identifying the flags.)
No one feels obviously trans or especially gender-non-conforming to me, but that might be in part due to the simplicity of the illustrations (plus my higher bar for "what even is gender non-conforming?"). 7 does include someone wearing a "Drag Superstar" shirt. There's a reasonable variety in body size, though no one I would particularly read as far, except maybe one person in the middle of 9.
"7 divas strike a fierce pose" disappointingly has a lot of people just standing on a float, with only some of them really posing.
I don't love the recurrence of "Be Kind" as a sign (especially as it's centered in the "4 activists fighting the good fight" illustration, and "8 great signs all in a row" has "Be Kind" and "Be Nice" -- I can be sold on "be kind" in appropriate contexts, but I am really not into "be nice"). Like, I don't need the signs in a board book to be super-political, but maybe "Black Trans Lives Matter" and "Love Makes A Family"? (8 does include "I love my two daddies")
Also, "3 families of all different types" appears to be all 2-adult families (maybe the center one is just 1 adult?). #OpportunityLost #PolyamorousFamiliesExistToo
I do appreciate the diversity. The very first illustration, in addition to racial/ethnic diversity, includes a wheelchair user (who recurs in 4; and someone else uses a mobility aid in 9) and the non-binary Pride flag as well as the Philly Pride flag. And the crowd of people with flags at the end ("10 waving flags fly brightly with pride") include 2 Philly Pride flags, 1 non-binary Pride flag, 1 pansexual Pride flag, 2 intersex Pride flags, 2 trans Pride flags? (1 blue/pink/white/pink/blue and 1 pink/white/blue), 1 trans-ace flag? (pink/white/black/blue), and 1 bisexual Pride flag. (I do wish there were a brief back matter identifying the flags.)
No one feels obviously trans or especially gender-non-conforming to me, but that might be in part due to the simplicity of the illustrations (plus my higher bar for "what even is gender non-conforming?"). 7 does include someone wearing a "Drag Superstar" shirt. There's a reasonable variety in body size, though no one I would particularly read as far, except maybe one person in the middle of 9.
"7 divas strike a fierce pose" disappointingly has a lot of people just standing on a float, with only some of them really posing.
I don't love the recurrence of "Be Kind" as a sign (especially as it's centered in the "4 activists fighting the good fight" illustration, and "8 great signs all in a row" has "Be Kind" and "Be Nice" -- I can be sold on "be kind" in appropriate contexts, but I am really not into "be nice"). Like, I don't need the signs in a board book to be super-political, but maybe "Black Trans Lives Matter" and "Love Makes A Family"? (8 does include "I love my two daddies")
Also, "3 families of all different types" appears to be all 2-adult families (maybe the center one is just 1 adult?). #OpportunityLost #PolyamorousFamiliesExistToo
June 17, 2020
This book features different families in the LBGTQIA+ community with positive, family-supportive text and colorful illustrations. This book introduces concepts to young children with the numbers 1-10. For example, “1 parade in the month of June”, “3 families of all different types”, “4 activists fighting the good fight”,”6 floats carrying people who are proud”, and “9 united people standing side by side”. Each page shows young children an aspect of LGBTQIA+ life whether through families, pride celebrations, expressions of their love, posters of support, or any number of ways these families celebrate their lives.
The artwork provided by Wednesday Holmes is colorful and unique. Wednesday is a London-based artist who uses their many talents to support the queer community, inspire others, and help to make a difference in our world. When I first saw the illustrations for this book, I was a little confused with the people. I knew this was a book that featured families with two moms, or two dads, or any other label you can put on it, but in looking at the illustrations, I could not tell if some of the characters were male or female. I could be wrong, but I think that was the point. I have seen many books with same-sex parents (other books by Michael Joosten for example) and that was what I was expecting from the illustrations. However, not all mothers wear dresses, and not all fathers wear only pants, some fathers have long hair and make-up and some mothers have very short hair. The point is, I feel this book shows families that love, support and care about each other--regardless of how their appearance fits into a certain category of male or female that we generally see in children’s books.
The artwork provided by Wednesday Holmes is colorful and unique. Wednesday is a London-based artist who uses their many talents to support the queer community, inspire others, and help to make a difference in our world. When I first saw the illustrations for this book, I was a little confused with the people. I knew this was a book that featured families with two moms, or two dads, or any other label you can put on it, but in looking at the illustrations, I could not tell if some of the characters were male or female. I could be wrong, but I think that was the point. I have seen many books with same-sex parents (other books by Michael Joosten for example) and that was what I was expecting from the illustrations. However, not all mothers wear dresses, and not all fathers wear only pants, some fathers have long hair and make-up and some mothers have very short hair. The point is, I feel this book shows families that love, support and care about each other--regardless of how their appearance fits into a certain category of male or female that we generally see in children’s books.
July 2, 2020
Join in the happiness of a pride parade in this counting board book. There is one parade in June with two DJs playing music. Three families, four activists, five motorcycles. Six floats go by with seven divas posing. Eight signs are held high with nine people standing together in unity. The final ten are people waving a variety of pride flags. Incredibly inclusive, this board book welcomes everyone to pride parades and celebrations with open arms. The illustrations are bold and bright, featuring all sorts of characters and families who are part of the LGBTQIA+ family.
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December 5, 2020I really love how Michael combined both a counting book with the topic of the LQBTQ, I think it is important for kids to read about different sexualities but with this I would be careful before reading it to my students since some parents may not agree with it and it can also depend on the area you are teaching in.
July 22, 2020
A bright, cheerful book that celebrates diverse families, love and the LGBTQIA+ community while counting to 10. A great board book for little ones who will enjoy the energetic and colorful illustrations. The brief text and lively message is perfect for toddlers. A positive, diverse, and warm book.
June 22, 2021
A cute counting book featuring different aspect of Pride celebrations. I loved the cheerful illustrations showing people of different races, gender expressions, and abilities. A welcoming, upbeat, rhyming board book.
Themes: Pride, Queerness, Parade, Summer
Age range: Baby-Toddler
Themes: Pride, Queerness, Parade, Summer
Age range: Baby-Toddler
May 19, 2020
I bought this because I love the artist and wanted to support them. The illustrations are very cute and colourful ❤️
August 5, 2020
Nice book with cheerful and bright illustrations.
August 13, 2020
This is a really cute counting book, with LGBT pride as the subject. There's also a lot of racial diversity in the pictures which was so nice.
November 25, 2020
Counting through a colorful Pride Day Parade celebration.
July 19, 2021
Perfect for younger Pride story time.
July 6, 2022
I love pride kids books omg
April 15, 2023
Sweet and positive! A great brief read.
June 7, 2023
I like the idea but as far as counting books go, this isn't incredibly functional.
January 9, 2024
i gotta push my gay agenda onto my sisters kids at a young age
March 11, 2025
Lots of colors.
A parent in my local library district asked for this book to be removed from the children's section.
A parent in my local library district asked for this book to be removed from the children's section.
June 14, 2021
This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!
Hello friends, and happy Pride! Our book today is Pride 1 2 3, written by Michael Joosten and illustrated by Wednesday Holmes, an exuberant counting book centered around the festivities of Pride.
While many public Pride celebrations have been cancelled this year due to COVID, this joyful board book introduces the youngest readers to the message and importance of Pride through the simple 1 to 10 counting book format. From “1 parade in the month of June” to “10 waving flags fly brightly with pride”, little ones can get a peek at a warmly illustrated Pride celebration that features DJs, divas, motorcycles, floats, signs, and a beautifully diverse display of intersectionality. After all, Pride is all about coming together and celebrating what makes the LGBTQ+ community special, with hope, love… and pride.
Wonderful! Bursting with visual excitement and positivity, this sweet title pulls double duty as a primer for the annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ community and a solid counting book. Each countable feature (people, flags, floats, signs, etc.) are clearly defined, even in the riot of color featured in the endearing, Roger Priddy-esque illustrations. The diversity of the cast is phenomenal, featuring characters across the spectrum of LGBGTQ+ of a multitude of skintones and ability. My only minor complaint is on the final spread, which features a group flying a multiple of Pride flags; some of the flags used are outdated versions, and some do not appear at all. Otherwise, this is a gentle, fun, and inclusive title that was just a blast to read. The length was perfect, JJ loved it, and we highly recommend it. Baby Bookworm approved!
(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)
Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!
October 21, 2020
An exuberant celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community with a diverse representation of abilities, family structures, and ways to recognize Pride. And a colorful counting book with nice cadence, to boot!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews