Emily Neilson’s 2022 children’s book The Rainbow Parade is a joyful, colorful, exuberant celebration of diversity.
It is based on her memories of going to the San Francisco Pride Parade every year with her two moms, an annual event that, as a child, she called the Rainbow Parade.
The book opens with the narrator, Emily, getting onto a BART train with Mama and Mommy.
The cars start out empty and gray, but slowly, stop by stop, the whole train fills up with rainbows.
“Do you see those fairies?” Mama says. “I think they are going to be in the parade.” The rainbow fairy winks at me.
My eyes grow wide. “Whoa,” I whisper.
The rainbow fairy queen
The fairy in question, whom Emy calls “the rainbow fairy queen,” is tall and has long white-blond hair and wears a multi-colored gown with multi-colored wings.
Later in the book, among those marching in the parade, the fairy appears with other drag queens, one of whom has long brown hair and a dark brown beard and wears a green ballroom gown.
The marchers, Emily says, have three things in common:
They are extra loud, they are super proud, and they are very colorful.
The rainbow fairy queen gives out rainbow candy, stickers, and plastic necklaces.
When she gets to me she says, “Look at those moms! Honey, you have so much to be proud of. Ya’ll should be in the parade!”
“Let’s join in!”
A bit shy, Emily is not at all sure what to think of that. And, then, a section of the parade comes by, walking behind a large sign “LGBTQ+ FAMILIES.”
“Do you see, Emy? They are all just like us,” says Mommy.
Just like us?
Then Mama hops over the fence. “Come on, Emily, lets join in!”
Despite some initial trepidation, Emily, with the help of her Moms, gets out and joins the parade.
The three of us start to walk in the parade.
We wave. And the crowd waves back.
We wave bigger, and walk prouder. And the crowd cheers.
The Rainbow Parade is a beautiful, heartfelt story, delightful for anyone who likes fun and people and colors and variety and happiness and life.
Patrick T. Reardon
1.23.25
Written by : Patrick T. Reardon
For more than three decades Patrick T. Reardon was an urban affairs writer, a feature writer, a columnist, and an editor for the Chicago Tribune. In 2000 he was one of a team of 50 staff members who won a Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting. Now a freelance writer and poet, he has contributed chapters to several books and is the author of Faith Stripped to Its Essence. His website is https://patricktreardon.com/.