Follow the Rainbow
First Friday Little Free Library - June 2026
To celebrate Pride Month, it seemed appropriate to feature this rainbow-colored Little Free Library that I happened upon in Broomfield, Colorado, last summer while visiting family.
This was the first LFL I’d seen with a bilingual ID plate, with the title and slogan in both English and Spanish: Pequeña Biblioteca Gratuita: Toma un Libro, Deja un Libro.
This reminded me of how libraries of all types, particularly public libraries, and independent bookstores, are often bastions of progressive thinking and inclusion, celebrating diversity and welcoming to everyone. Always in places where you would expect it, like Seattle, where Drag Queen Story Hour is a common event at libraries, bookstores, and festivals. But even in towns where you might least expect it, such as Betty’s Books in the small mountain town of Baker City in Eastern Oregon (which I mentioned in a previous FFLFL post) and Night Heron Books & Coffeehouse in Laramie, Wyoming.
And while I had assumed this post would naturally lead to a further discussion of Drag Queen storytelling, following the rainbow led me to an unexpected book-rainbow connection that those of you born in the 1900s might remember: Reading Rainbow.
For you youngsters not familiar with the program, it first aired on PBS in 1983, initially created to keep kids interested in reading during the summertime, when many school-age children tend to lose some of their reading skills gained during the school year. It quicky became a popular full-year program and had a highly successful run for 26 years, winning hundreds of awards along the way!
While down my rainbow rabbit hole, I discovered that Reading Rainbow is back! The new iteration of the show follows the same basic format — a book is read to children, often by a celebrity narrator, then the children get to visit places and do activities related to the book’s theme and share their own book recommendations — but updated to contend with the technological advances and increasingly competitive entertainment options vying for kids’ attention since it went off the air in 2009.
You can watch new episodes for free at ReadingRainbow.org, or directly on YouTube. I highly recommend starting with No Cats in the Library, where Mychal the Librarian starts the show by emphasizing that the library is a welcoming place for everyone. In this episode’s case, “everyone” also includes fiction-loving felines!
After actress Jamie Chung reads the book No Cats in the Library, a few children get to take a field trip, led by actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach, to an animal shelter in New York, where they meet some volunteers who read to cats (and dogs) to help them feel calm and loved while waiting for adoption.
Next, Mychal leads the children in a craft activity: building “sidewalk libraries” — which are essentially Little Free Libraries! The show concludes with kids sharing book reviews of similar books, including No. 5 Bubblegum Street, described by one little girl as a book “about a lot of animals who live in an apartment building” and “shows how people can live in one place and get along” (which she gives 17 stars!).
I have to admit the show left me a little teary-eyed but also inspired to continue my tiny crusade to promote literacy, progressive thinking, and inclusivity through reading, writing, and book sharing, with my own writing projects, editing/coaching services, and this FFLFL series.
As if the universe were proving my point about libraries and bookstores, after writing the first draft of this post on the rooftop deck of an amazing all-vegan café in Olympia, WA (The Park Side Café), with a spectacular view of Mt. Rainier, I visited nearby Orca Books Cooperative and found this:
What about you, readers, do you remember Reading Rainbow? Are you now inspired to go read to shelter cats or build your own Little Free Library? If you already have one, will you use it to celebrate Pride and promote … dare I say … DEI?
What a brilliant show concept! I had not heard of it.