10 Books for Juneteenth

All Different Now by Angela Johnson
In 1865, members of a family start their day as slaves, working in a Texas cotton field, and end it celebrating their freedom on what came to be known as Juneteenth. 

 

Juneteenth for Mazie by Floyd Cooper
Little Mazie wants the freedom to stay up late, but her father explains what freedom really means in the story of Juneteenth, and how her ancestors celebrated their true freedom.

 

 

Juneteenth by Lynn Peppas
Every year on June 19th, people of all backgrounds celebrate the day that African Americans were freed from slavery in the United States. This book discusses the history of the Civil War and the law that freed the slaves.

 

Juneteenth by Rachel Koestler-Grack
Relevant images match informative text in this introduction to Juneteenth. Intended for students in kindergarten through third grade.

 

 

Let’s Celebrate Emancipation Day & Juneteenth by Barbara DeRubertis
Explains what Emancipation Day and Juneteenth are and explores the fight for freedom from slavery for African Americans.

 

 

A Kid’s Guide to African American History by Nancy L. Sanders
What do all these people have in common: the first man to die fighting in the American Revolution, a onetime chief of the Crow Nation, the inventors of the banjo and peanut butter, and the first clockmaker in this country? They were all great African Americans.

 

Freedom Over Me by Ashley Bryan
Using original slave auction and plantation estate documents, contrasts the monetary value of a slave with the priceless value of life experiences and dreams that a slave owner could never take away.

 

 

Overground Railroad by Lesa Cline-Ransome
A girl named Ruth Ellen tells the story of her family’s train journey from North Carolina to New York City as part of the Great Migration.

 

 

 

A Day for Rememberin’ by Leah Henderson
In Charleston, South Carolina, in 1865, ten-year-old Eli and other newly freed slaves gather to honor the memory of fallen Union soldiers, an event considered to be one of the first celebrations of what is now called Memorial Day.

 

 

The Story of Juneteeth by Steven Otfinoski
In You Choose format, explores the history of Juneteenth Day, including the Emancipation Proclamation, the post-Civil War South, and efforts to end racism.