Summary
“I Am a Rainbow” by Mark Kanemura is about his childhood in Hawaii and how he is different. Mark loves to put on shows, dance, and play dress up! His family is so accepting, he can be anything he wants to be! Until he gets to school where there are mean kids. Mark feels so lonely he truly wants to disappear. His family bought him a rainbow cape to cheer him up. He then finds a group of people who are just like him and he doesn’t feel lonely anymore! He feels invincible with his cape and friends!
Theme(s):
Loneliness, Courage/Bravery, Overcoming Adversity
Personal Response
I truly enjoyed reading this story! We don’t see enough of these LGBTQIA+ books around and it is something that is so important for children to learn about. This story made me feel proud to be a part of the community and to be an ally. Think about all the children than could connect the same way I did. Chances are that children know someone that is a part of the LGBTQIA+ community or could possibly be a member in the future. This story is a leap of faith into that acceptance.
Teaching Ideas
A great and sweet idea for this story is to create a rainbow flag with positive words and picture to show some support for the LGBTQIA+ community! Children can even look up famous people that are a member of the community and they may even be surprised who they may see! This is a great way to show the school community that children support those who are different in all the best ways!
Recommended Reading Level
Birth-PreK, Grade 01, Grade 02, Grade 03
