Under One Rainbow

Toddler-Gr 2–Awash with rich color and a beautiful style, this book features people across age ranges and abilities, skin colors, hair color and styles—appropriately rainbowlike given that they are attending a Pride parade in their neighborhood. Musical notes fill the air as each page’s illustrations give prominence to a different color of that rainbow, from red to purple, until a rainstorm washes everything to gray, creating a immersive visual experience. The parade goers weather the storm together, a simple metaphor for young children for hard times in life, “until the sun shines on us, and we all shine back.” Accompanying these words is an illustration of the sun reemerging from the clouds. The text is perfect in its simplicity, especially for children. With mostly descriptive text of the parade and the only explanation of Pride as the celebration of “each other, just as we are,” Ayala-Kronos leaves readers feeling fundamentally connected to this joyous celebration. The simple text also empowers educators and caregivers to provide further context, enabling important conversations even among the youngest children, assisted by the vibrancy and inclusivity of the art.