SuitabookMe, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow
Benjamin Dean
- Reading
- Read alongside a child who may find parental separation or identity-related conflict personal. Pause to explain unfamiliar LGBTQ+ terms, discuss Pride’s purpose beyond partying, and allow space for mixed feelings.
- Themes
- Changing family and adult responsibility: Archie wants to understand why his parents split and believes he may be able to improve the situation between them. The story appears to recognise Archie’s pain while moving towards greater honesty and love; it also shows that adults’ attempts to help can miss what a child needs.
- LGBTQ+ identity and Pride: Archie learns that his father is gay and travels to Pride, where he encounters a large, varied community and performers who help him. LGBTQ+ identity is presented as a meaningful part of family and community life, while Pride is described as both vibrant celebration and a movement with wider importance.
- Friendship and unexpected help: Archie travels with Seb and Bell, meets Oscar and Dean, and receives help from drag performers after the group becomes separated. The book presents this favourably.
- Worth knowing
- Family separation, arguments and confusion are central. Anxiety or panic is mentioned as a possible concern, but its extent and intensity are unclear. Homophobia is also mentioned as a mild concern, and the journey includes losing contact in a crowd and other obstacles. The tone remains humorous and hopeful.