'Twas the Night Before Pride

Joanna McClintick

May 2022 · Candlewick Press

About this ebook

A glittering celebration of queer families puts Pride gently in perspective—honoring those in the LGBTQ+ community who fought against injustice and inequality.

Pride’s . . . a day that means “Together, we are strong!”

This joyful picture-book homage to a day of community and inclusion—and to the joys of anticipation—is also a comprehensive history. With bright, buoyant illustrations and lyrical, age-appropriate rhyme modeled on “’Twas the Night Before Christmas,” it tackles difficult content such as the Stonewall Riots and the AIDS marches. On the night before Pride, families everywhere are preparing to partake. As one family packs snacks and makes signs, an older sibling shares the importance of the march with the newest member of the family. Reflecting on the day, the siblings agree that the best thing about Pride is getting to be yourself. Debut author Joanna McClintick and Pura Belpré Award–winning author-illustrator Juana Medina create a new classic that pays homage to the beauty of families of all compositions—and of all-inclusive love.

Ratings and reviews

Audiobook Review: Overall – 5 Performance – 5 Story – 5 Cute story. I enjoyed listening to this audiobook. I saw where one reviewer thought the book should have been narrated by a kid. I disagree. Since this was a pride story using the cadence of “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” I thought it was totally appropriate that an adult be telling this story to children. In such a short narrative it wasn’t possible to detail everything involving the LGBTQ+ community but I thought this was a good start and simple for children to understand. A complimentary copy of this audiobook was provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley at my request but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author and/or narrator.

About the author

Joanna McClintick is a debut children's book author and a licensed social worker at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center in Manhattan. When she was dreaming about building her family, she wrote this poem to honor Pride's history of resistance and imagined sharing it with her future child one day. It has become a tradition to read it at their annual brunch the day before the Pride March with family and friends. Joanna McClintick lives with her wife and child in Brooklyn.

Juana Medina is the author-illustrator of Juana & Lucas</i>, which won the 2017 Pura Belpré Author Award; Juana & Lucas: Big Problemas</i>; Juana & Lucas: Muchos Changes</i>; and many other titles and has illustrated numerous picture books, including Smick! by Doreen Cronin and I’m a Baked Potato! by Elise Primavera. Born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia, Juana Medina now lives with her family in the Washington DC area.