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

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)