Randy Rainbow and the Marvelously Magical Pink Glasses

Gr 3-5–Randy Rainbow, perhaps best known for politics-meets-showtunes parody videos, tells a tale about an upper elementary schooler named Randy Rainbow. This Randy wears hot pink or chartreuse suits to school (while other boys’ clothes are called “dull” and “drab”), paints his nails, and loves to perform. Sadly, after being bullied, Randy’s vivacious personality fades. The one adult in his life, supportive Nanny, gives him a pair of pink glasses that she says are magic. They give Randy his confidence back. After he loses them, he realizes that the magic was in him all along. The inspirational plot is formulaic. The text lacks the wit of the author’s YouTube channel, although “Richie Schmendrick” is a solid name for a bully. Randy appeals to Richie with self-deprecating humor, and after he starts making fun of himself, he is invited to the Richie party and finally feels like he fits in. Even though all the kids appear to be happy dancing “weirdos” in Randy’s eyes at the end of the book, this plot point feels less like a picture book and more like an anodyne beginning to a comedian’s tragic adult memoir confessing they use comedy to mask their depression. Vivacious artwork elevates the tale. The illustrations’ bright colors and cute details, like allusions to Broadway classics, give the book an all-ages visual appeal. Background characters are depicted with various skin tones and physical abilities.