Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag
Written by Rob Sanders
Illustrated by Steven Salerno
Ages 5-8 | 48 Pages
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
PRIDE: THE STORY OF HARVEY MILK AND THE RAINBOW FLAG is a Project Open Books all-time favorite! This is not only an incredible story but also a worthwhile history lesson for both children and adults.
It’s not always easy to make history lessons digestible for older students - yet alone young elementary school children! Rob Sanders is a master at making difficult topics readable and understandable for all readers. In the beginning of this story, we encounter Harvey Milk, described as an ordinary man with an extraordinary dream. He dreamed that everyone - including gay people - would have equality. While he used his voice as a politician and activist, Harvey Milk thought that he and others needed a symbol for their cause. We learn that he worked with an artist named Gilbert Baker to design what we now know as the Rainbow Pride Flag.
Besides the excellent storytelling and incredible illustrations, the best part about this children’s book is the way in which it introduces young students to topics such as equality, pride, hope, symbolism, and love. It’s the perfect book to introduce students to the history of Pride and the Rainbow Flag, and it pairs perfectly with Rob Sanders’s other children’s book, STONEWALL: A BUILDING. AN UPRISING. A REVOLUTION.
Want to include this children’s book in your classroom teaching? Request it here. We’ve also created two classroom activities for this book because we just love it that much! You can find and download those worksheets here and find a virtual read-aloud of this book here.