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Celebrate Juneteenth!: 24 Books by Black Authors

Three years ago via a proclamation by President Joe Biden, Juneteenth became a federal holiday. The official name for the day is Juneteenth National Independence Day. For over 150 years—beginning with formerly enslaved Black Americans in Galveston, Texas—June 19th has been celebrated in the United States as the symbolic end of slavery. 

In Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free, Alice Faye Duncan tells of Lee’s “determination and persistence” in her activism to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. Leading up to Juneteenth, make sure to share a book or two with young readers, those who celebrate, and those who still don’t quite understand the meaning of the holiday. These picture, chapter, and middle-grade books feature fiction and nonfiction stories. Happy Juneteenth!

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1. Let’s Celebrate Juneteenth (Board Book)

Tonya Abari | Tabitha Brown | Mudpuppy | April 11, 2023 | Bd Bk | Amazon | Bookshop


2. The Story of Juneteenth (Board Book)

Dorena Williamson | Markia Jenai ‎| WorthyKids | May 3, 2022 | Bd Bk | Amazon | Bookshop


3. The Juneteenth Cookbook: Recipes and Activities for Kids and Families to Celebrate

Alliah L. Agostini | Chef Taffy Elrod | Sawyer Cloud | Becker & Mayer | April 2, 2024 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


4. Juneteenth Is

Natasha Tripplett | Daniel J. O’Brien | Chronicle | April 9, 2024 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop



5. They Built Me for Freedom: The Story of Juneteenth and Houston’s Emancipation Park

Tonya Duncan Ellis | Jenin Mohammed | Balzer + Bray | May 14, 2024 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


6. Juneteenth

Van G. Garrett | Reginald C. Adams | Samson Bimbo Adenugba | Versify | May 2, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


7. The Night Before Freedom: A Juneteenth Story

Glenda Armand | Corey Barksdale | Crown BYR | May 2, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


8. Jayylen’s Juneteenth Surprise

Lavaille Lavette | David Wilkerson | Golden Books | May 2, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop



9. A Flag for Juneteenth

Kim Taylor | Neal Porter Books | January 3, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


10. Free at Last: A Juneteenth Poem

Sojourner Kincaid Rolle | Alex Bostic | ‎Union Square Kids | May 24, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


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

Alliah L. Agostini | Sawyer Cloud | becker&mayer! kids | May 3, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


12. Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth

Alice Faye Duncan | Keturah A. Bobo | Thomas Nelson | January 11, 2022 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop



13. Juneteenth: A Children’s Story

Opal Lee | Peter Viska | Unity Unlimited Inc. | April 24, 2021 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


14. All Different Now: Juneteenth, the First Day of Freedom

Angela Johnson | E.B. Lewis | Simon & Schuster BYR | May 6, 2014 | Amazon | Bookshop


15. Juneteenth for Mazie

Floyd Cooper | Capstone | February 1, 2015 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


16. Juneteenth Jamboree

Carole Boston Weatherford | Yvonne Buchanan | Lee & Low Books | August 1, 2007 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop



17. Freedom’s Gifts: A Juneteenth Story

Valerie Wesley | Sharon Wilson | Simon & Schuster | April 1, 1997 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop


18. Juneteenth Celebrates Freedom

Myra Faye Turner | Markia Jenai | Capstone Press | August 1, 2023 | Chp Bk | Amazon | Bookshop


19. The Real History of Juneteenth

Elliott Smith | Lerner Publications | January 1, 2023 | Chp Bk | Amazon | Bookshop


20. The History of Juneteenth

Arlisha Norwood | Rockridge Press | May 24, 2022 | Chp Bk | Amazon | Bookshop



21. Juneteenth: Our Day of Freedom

Sharon Dennis Wyeth | Kim Holt | Random House BYR | May 10, 2022 | Chp Bk | Amazon | Bookshop


22. She Persisted: Opal Lee

Shelia P. Moses | Gillian Flint | Philomel Books | December 26, 2023 | Chp Bk | Amazon | Bookshop


23. What Is Juneteenth? (What Was?)

Kirsti Jewel | Who HQ | Manuel Gutierrez | Penguin Workshop | April 5, 2022 | MG | Amazon | Bookshop


24. Juneteenth

Drew Nelson | Vaunda Micheaux Nelson | Mark Schroder | First Avenue Editions | January 1, 2006 | Chp Bk | Amazon | Bookshop


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