
All the Colours of the Rainbow
All the Colours of the Rainbow
Rae White
Sha’an D’Anthes
Lothian, 2025
32pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99
9780734423061
Sometimes when Jem bounces out of bed in the morning, they feel like wearing their yellow dress and blue sandals, and on other mornings, blue jeans and orange sneakers get the nod. Some days they feel like a girl, others like a boy, but most importantly, what they choose to do is not defined by their biological gender.
But, sadly, some adults only see the world through a black and white (or blue and pink) lens and try to limit Jem’s choices because of their stereotypical views of what what boys and girls should do, wear, enjoy and live. Fortunately, Jem has an understanding mother who shows her that anybody can be any colour of the rainbow at any time and this can change as often as they choose.
For a while gender fluidity was becoming a non-event in society with people being accepted for who they are and stories for young readers contained characters who were diverse so readers could read about themselves, see themselves as just part of life and accept their differences which became less and less important. For most, who a person chose to love or sleep with or not had no bearing on their public life. That was until a certain extreme right-wing president got elected, anything not seen as being on the straight and narrow got banned from school curricula and even public libraries, and now, in his second term, within 24 hours of inauguration has made the “two sexes” policy official. Disturbingly, there are right-wing politicians in Australia, already elected, who believe the same thing and hope that a change in government here will bring about similar legislation.
Therefore, books like these which gently explore gender diversity and subtly educate those who share them, particularly the adults who have set-in-concrete views because, just as in real-life it is the adults in the story who disapprove of Jem’s choices, have an even more important role to play as we encourage children to love and accept themselves no matter what colour of the rainbow they are. As The Right Rev. Mariann Budde, the Episcopal Bishop of Washington, said during her sermon at the inaugural prayer service at that president’s inauguration, there are “gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and Independent families,” across the country “who fear for their lives.” and our kids have enough to deal with without having who they are denied. Children need to read about those who look, live and love like they do.
Even without referring to gender, White’s clever use of the colours of the rainbow and D’Anthes illustrations help little ones understand that it’s okay and completely natural to be different whether that be related to our heritage. our feelings, our beliefs, our activities or whatever – it’s the colours of the rainbow, as they merge and separate and merge again that give the world its beauty.