Juneteenth Is

Tripplett offers an overview of Juneteenth celebrations and history, beginning with a child’s waking to the smell of brisket. Alongside the recurring phrase, “Juneteenth is,” explanatory text takes the now camera-wielding child to a parade (“Juneteenth is the perfect sidewalk spot”), then to a family gathering at Grandaddy’s, decorated with flags of black, red, and green (“Juneteenth is the house getting louder”). In O’Brien’s distinctive digital illustrations, individuals of various abilities, body types, and skin tones gather around the table, then listen as “Grandaddy’s deep voice/ reminds us why we’re here.” In front of a wall of pictures, he cursorily shares historical events including enslavement, the Proclamation that “took/ two years to be proclaimed,” and “freedom shackled to a/ Parks, King, and Obama future.” It all leads to a group photo and the idea that “Juneteenth is all of us.// We are America,” making for an inclusive portrait of a close-knit contemporary community in conversation with history’s resonances. A brief note, “On the Significance of Red,” concludes. Ages 5–8. (Apr.)