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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