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. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

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) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.