The Juneteenth Story: Celebrating the End of Slavery in the United States

by Alliah L. Agostini, Sawyer Cloud (Illustrator)

Overview

Winner of the 2022 the Black Kid Lit Award for Best Historical title.

With colorful illustrations and a timeline, this introductory history of Juneteenth for kids details the evolution of the holiday commemorating the date the enslaved people of Texas first learned of their freedom​.

On June 19, 1865—more than two years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation—the enslaved people of Texas first learned of their freedom. That day became a day of remembrance and celebration that changed and grew from year to year.

Learn about the events that led to emancipation and why it took so long for the enslaved people in Texas to hear the news. The first Juneteenth began as “Jubilee Day,” where families celebrated and learned of their new rights as citizens. As Black Texans moved to other parts of the country, they brought their traditions along with them, and Juneteenth continued to grow and develop.

Today, Juneteenth’s powerful spirit has endured through the centuries to become an official holiday in the United States in 2021. The Juneteenth Story provides an accessible introduction for kids to learn about this important American holiday.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780760375143
Publisher:	Epic Ink
Publication date:	05/03/2022
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	125,760
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Buffalo, NY native Alliah L. Agostini writes to spread joy, truth, and to illuminate the breadth of childhood experiences. Alliah is the award-winning author of a number of books for young readers including: The Juneteenth Story, BIG TUNE, Oprah Winfrey: A Little Golden Book Biography, A Juneteenth Celebration Cookbook, and more. She resides in New Jersey with her husband and two children, and has an A.B. and an M.B.A. from Harvard.

Sawyer Cloud loves sunny days and music. Children’s books she has illustrated include Jade Braves the Dark, Dear Mama’s Loving Arms, Our Favourite Things, Earthbred, and Under the Mango Tree. If not drawing, she would be singing out loud in her room wearing her favorite fairy costume, and sharing the moment with her online friends. She lives in Madagascar with her family and two pets, Arya the dog and Potter the cat. Her dream is to travel and share her stories with the world.

Editorial Reviews

06/13/2022

In lengthy prose, Agostini’s debut sketches a well-contextualized American history of enslaved Black persons, demonstrating that the end of slavery was merely a first step: “Independence Day did not free them. It would take eighty-nine more years until enslaved people, too, would be free.” In unlined cartoon-style art that sometimes confusingly mingles past and present, historical characters react to the Emancipation Proclamation and subsequent events as Black characters in contemporary attire discuss the holiday’s history. Cloud’s images capture the jubilation of the newly free in a spectrum of brown faces, and the disappointment of those same faces when Jim Crow laws take much of what had been gained. A consolidated history subsequently follows Juneteenth through to its 2021 recognition as an official holiday. Back matter includes a timeline of “Emancipation Day,” eventually known as Juneteenth, and an author’s note. Ages 6–9. (May)

Publishers Weekly

An important look at Juneteenth history, made accessible for young readers.”—Kirkus Reviews

“A well-contextualized American history of enslaved Black persons”
 —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2022-05-11
The story of how Juneteenth came to be.

Agostini narrates the history of the holiday that marks the date when enslaved people in Texas finally learned they were free: June 19, 1865, 900 days after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation and 339 years after slavery began. Juneteenth has been celebrated in some cities and regions since 1866 (then called Jubilee Day or Emancipation Day), but in 2021, President Joe Biden made Juneteenth a federal holiday. Throughout this straightforward account, a contemporary Black mother, father, and young daughter observe images of these historical events unfolding: Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation, the jubilation of enslaved people receiving news of their freedom, and the disappointment of a Black family, subject to Jim Crow laws, who cannot visit a park where a White family is picnicking. This split visual narrative likely represents the parents teaching their daughter this history, but readers might find it confusing when the family eats in a park alongside families wearing historical clothing. Agostini brings readers up to the summer of 2020, connecting Juneteenth with the civil rights movement of the 1960s and the Black Lives Matter movement. Cloud uses an array of skin tones to portray the diversity among African Americans, but sometimes the cartoonish style conflicts with the seriousness of the book’s content. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

An important look at Juneteenth history, made accessible for young readers. (timeline, author's note) (Picture book. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews