You can tell this book was written by an adult for kids, some of the language kids just wouldn't say. I think it's incredibly important to educate on what it is to be an ally and also call out when people are being prejudiced, whilst this book is needed - it could have been explained a little better for kids instead of jumping straight into 'i want to be an ally' - kids don't say 'we're just kids, what can we do' - in my experience, they just do!

Such a beautiful book with a really important message.

As an early years educator this book is one I'm passionate about and would not only recommend but also buy myself.

The world needs more books like this to share these messages with children from an early age.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

This is such a sweet book! I will definitely be adding this to my classroom library for my students. I love how Joy is an ally in both words and actions, and how empowering the message of the book is while being realistic about the difficulties young LGBTQIA+ people can face in an age-appropriate way. I hope it will inspire many children to be good friends and allies.

This book was amazing., Beautiful art and message. Every library needs this book. Highly recommend. Great book for story time.

A sweet story about a girl who loves her brother, who happens to be gay. After witnessing him and his boyfriend being harassed, Joy wants to know why she feels so upset and why the aggressors acted that way. She learns that not everyone is accepting and wants to help her brother feel better. They come up with a great way to raise money and gain community support with her friends, creating a loving and supportive environment for her brother and other members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Pride and Joy: a story about becoming an ally.
by Frank J. Sileo and Kate Lum-Potvin


This book is a children book illustrated by Emmi Smid, who does some amazing work within those pages! Emotions and actions are easily understood through the use of colours and facial expressions, which makes this book a visual beauty.

As this is aimed at children, the text needs to be easy to understand and the storyline should be simple. In this book, both points are well achieved, as Joy understands more about being an ally. In Pride and Joy, Noah is a young gay man and Joy's brother. We see that Noah is being bullied, his reaction to that situation and how Joy feels about witnessing the bullies:

"My chest started thumping. My belly felt sick, half angry and half scared. I wanted to scream at the bullies but they were much bigger than me."

This book touches on LGBTQIA+ issues such as homophobia and how to be an ally to the community, but it also touches on love and respect, on family and fear and bullying. Those are big topics which should not be left out, as children do have questions about those difficult topics too.

I feel like this is important to point out because I know many parents (and people in general) who will see this book and only recognise that it is a book centered around LGBTQIA+, and won't look any further. What we all need to remember is that love is love. As long as both parties are consensual, then it's fine. People who are not heterosexual still have a heart like me and you, hands like me and you, and feelings like me and you.

At the end of this book, there are a few questions for the reader to think about. I found those really interesting, and would definitely recommand this book to anyone, not just children.


#bullying #family #LGBTQIA #gender #affection #love #book #recommend #ally

"Careful the things you say... children will listen."
Such an important book - simple enough for kids to assimilate, without missing its point of being a precious tool for parents. It comes with both beautiful illustrations, and on point suggestions for discussion before, during, and after the reading.
Although it's targeted to children, it educates adults as well in their mission to teach children inclusion.

This book is great, and talks about how to be an ally. The illustrations are great, and it covers a potentially hard conversation. Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book for review!

This is a beautifully written book for children to understand how people are diffetent. This book talks about gay people and how to help change the minds of other people who think gays are bad or whatever. Beautifully written but a couple pages need some work. The illustrations are just as beautiful too. Teach the children how to be supportive of people who are different. They are people too!

I got a free copy of the book and is voluntarily writing a review

What a sweet little read for children and adults alike! In "Pride and Joy", Sileo and Lum-Potvin present us with a simple yet poignant story. After her big brother Noah and his boyfriend Miguel are targeted by mean bullies, Joy decides to become an ally, and puts her baking skills to good use by opening a cookie stand to raise funds for their local LGBTQIA+ youth centre. But when the bullies return, and try to be mean about Joy's stand, Joy and the rest of the allies will realise that true allyship also means raising one's voice when it's hard to.

The art style was adorable, and perfectly suited for a young audience. In fact, it has a childish air to it, what with the pencil colouring and the rounded shapes, and I feel like this makes it all the easier for children to be interested in it. The ethnic diversity in these drawings is absolutely delightful, too! In terms of the story, this book doesn't aim for the stars - it's a simple, easy-to-follow story that even the youngest children will be able to understand and connect with. Definitely a book I'd read to my own child.

I love that this book makes it so clear that being an ally is more than just accepting someone, it's about taking a stand and taking action. I especially love that Joy is scared when the bully comes up to her, but she recognises that as an ally she needs to stand up to people like him even if it scares her. The discussion questions and the information for adults at the back of the book seem helpful for facilitating a successful classroom discussion following reading the story.

I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review
A colorful work expressing sibling love and loyalty and acceptance of what is right. This picture book might be a little idealistic but for a child it’s the dream and it’s sweet to read. It has a personal reason I fully admit to giving this book a soft spot for me but I truly think every child needs to be educated by this book

This book is a great way to teach kids about the definition of an ally and how to stand up for what is right and just in the world. When Joy's brother is bullied for being gay, Joy wants to help him by becoming an ally. So, she hosts a bake sale to raise money to contribute to the LGBT+ community.

This was a super cute, sweet, heartfelt and heartwarming children's book with a lovely art style and an excellent message: what an ally is and how to be one. I think children of any age would easily understand the story and the larger message of how to be an ally and the importance of allies in all marginalized communities. I really appreciated the information and discussion questions included as well.

I would recommend this to be included in any personal and public library for kids of all ages. Just lovey!

Pride and Joy by Frank J. Sileo and Kate Lum-Potvin is a sweet and very gentle introduction to allyship for the LGBTQIA+ community. With a foreword by Vanessa Williams, and wonderfully colorful illustrations by Emmi Smid, this book is centered around a child's point of view and her wish to see her brother smile again.

When Joy sees her brother become victim to a bully, she decides to take action and raise money for the local LGBTQIA+ center. When that same bully tries to end the bake sale, Joy learns that being an ally doesn't mean just raising money for the cause, it means standing up for what's right, even when its scary.

This book puts being an ally into simple terms for children to understand. It made it easier for me to understand. Plus, in the back of the book, there are several notes to grown up allies. That's not the only bonus in this book there are also discussion questions and a few more books to put on your "to read" list.

I love this book not only for the message but for the bright illustrations. Wish I could have had one of Joy's beautiful cookies. Guess my girls and I will just have to make some of our own!

Overall this was a cute story and a good introduction to ally-ship for kids. The coloring was good, and the message was understandable for a young audience. While I liked the book overall, I tend to have an issue with gay pain as a plot device / to further a straight person or ally's storyline. The ending was a bit idealistic and had an "everyone clapped" vibe. The book also focused more on Joy feeling sad at witnessing oppression than those suffering from oppression. There might have been a better way to get to the plot point of raising funds in allyship than displaying her brother getting harassed. I did enjoy the book overall and will be recommending it.

A fantastically laid out story of Joy, who wants to stand up for her brother Noah, who's gay. It teaches children that being an ally is not about big grand gestures and saying "I'm an ally!" but about putting your heart where your words are and doing something. Sometimes being an ally is running a bake sale and donating money, sometimes it's sharing cookies with someone and sometimes it is the hard thing - standing up and speaking out on someone's behalf.

Joy's reaction to the hatred her brother faced felt very familiar to me and I found a lot of courage from the pages of this book to do my own standing up.

The illustrations are colourful and joyful most of the time, aside from the scenes where Joy is sad or is facing other people's homophobia. The use of darker colours for those sections fits very well with the story being told.

With great afterword by Frank J. Sileo, discussion questions and further reading recommendations, this book is already in my basket to add to our collection at work. I would definitely recommend it.

This warm hug of a book introduces young readers to the concept of being an ally. Our main character, Joy, witnesses an incident that sets her on the path of becoming an ally to her older brother, and shows the reader the importance of collective action. The story and characters are relatable, and the text is accompanied by wonderful colored-pencil illustrations that use simple perspective, perfectly matching the tone of the book and it's overall message.

The back of the book includes further notes for parents, discussion topics, and recommendations for further reading.

This book is an invaluable addition to any child's bookshelf and is a great addition to the already vibrant publisher's catalog.