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Twas the Night Before Pride

Author Joanna McClintick
Illustrated by Juana Medina
Paperback
$8.99 US
Candlewick
9-5/8"W x 10-5/8"H | 13 oz | 90 per carton
On sale May 06, 2025 | 32 Pages | 9781536229066
Age 4-8 years | Preschool - 3
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“A loving survey of the queer community in all its diversity. . . . With affirming discussions of togetherness and LGBTQ+ rights, the book’s final takeaway that ‘being yourself is a blast’ hits just the right note.” —Booklist

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. 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.
  • SELECTION | 2023
    NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies
  • SELECTION | 2022
    Chicago Public Library Best Books
Rainbows abound in Medina’s full-color digital illustrations, which incorporate historical references and depict a wonderfully diverse cast. . . While there is no shortage of picture books about Pride, this one may be the most inclusive and expansive yet. . . . An affirming and kid-friendly history lesson.
—Kirkus Reviews

McClintick presents a loving survey of the queer community in all its diversity. . . Medina’s rainbow-flecked digital illustrations do a superb job of capturing the spirit and scope of Pride and the excitement it generates, while the sprightly text joins in the celebration. With affirming discussions of togetherness and LGBTQ+ rights, the book’s final takeaway that “being yourself is a blast” hits just the right note.
—Booklist

Joanna McClintick's picture book is a great way to introduce young readers to the history behind Pride month. . . . Covering everything from the Stonewall riots to the queer activism behind AIDS marches, 'Twas the Night Before Pride explains that Pride is not just about rainbow flags but about fighting for the right to exist as you truly are, with all the dignity that entails.
—Entertainment Weekly

This story is a great way to share and create conversations with young readers about rights, the LGBTQ community, different dynamics of households, what it means to be a family, and the beauty of being yourself.
—The Calgary Herald

In this beautiful and inclusive picture book, characters anticipate celebrating Pride while also telling an important history of what led to Pride, from Stonewall to AIDs. If you’re looking for an age-appropriate introduction to history, this is the perfect pick!
—Book Riot

Medina’s rainbow-hued illustrations give Pride scale and scope, mingling images of protests with awe-inspiring parade views from above, the spreads brimming with people of arrayed abilities, gender expressions, and skin tones carrying a range of Pride flags in this warm and moving tale.
—Publishers Weekly
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, which won the 2017 Pura Belpré Author Award; Juana & Lucas: Big Problemas; Juana & Lucas: Muchos Changes; 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.
Joanna McClintick View titles by Joanna McClintick
Juana Medina View titles by Juana Medina

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About

“A loving survey of the queer community in all its diversity. . . . With affirming discussions of togetherness and LGBTQ+ rights, the book’s final takeaway that ‘being yourself is a blast’ hits just the right note.” —Booklist

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. 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.

Awards

  • SELECTION | 2023
    NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies
  • SELECTION | 2022
    Chicago Public Library Best Books

Praise

Rainbows abound in Medina’s full-color digital illustrations, which incorporate historical references and depict a wonderfully diverse cast. . . While there is no shortage of picture books about Pride, this one may be the most inclusive and expansive yet. . . . An affirming and kid-friendly history lesson.
—Kirkus Reviews

McClintick presents a loving survey of the queer community in all its diversity. . . Medina’s rainbow-flecked digital illustrations do a superb job of capturing the spirit and scope of Pride and the excitement it generates, while the sprightly text joins in the celebration. With affirming discussions of togetherness and LGBTQ+ rights, the book’s final takeaway that “being yourself is a blast” hits just the right note.
—Booklist

Joanna McClintick's picture book is a great way to introduce young readers to the history behind Pride month. . . . Covering everything from the Stonewall riots to the queer activism behind AIDS marches, 'Twas the Night Before Pride explains that Pride is not just about rainbow flags but about fighting for the right to exist as you truly are, with all the dignity that entails.
—Entertainment Weekly

This story is a great way to share and create conversations with young readers about rights, the LGBTQ community, different dynamics of households, what it means to be a family, and the beauty of being yourself.
—The Calgary Herald

In this beautiful and inclusive picture book, characters anticipate celebrating Pride while also telling an important history of what led to Pride, from Stonewall to AIDs. If you’re looking for an age-appropriate introduction to history, this is the perfect pick!
—Book Riot

Medina’s rainbow-hued illustrations give Pride scale and scope, mingling images of protests with awe-inspiring parade views from above, the spreads brimming with people of arrayed abilities, gender expressions, and skin tones carrying a range of Pride flags in this warm and moving tale.
—Publishers Weekly

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, which won the 2017 Pura Belpré Author Award; Juana & Lucas: Big Problemas; Juana & Lucas: Muchos Changes; 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.
Joanna McClintick View titles by Joanna McClintick
Juana Medina View titles by Juana Medina

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