Illustrated by DeAndra Hodge
3 stars
As a young girl enjoys the Juneteenth block party, she wonders what the first Juneteenth celebration was like. She talks to family and friends about their Juneteenth memories as they all share in the joy of the celebration. A nice look at some of the foods and activities associated with Juneteenth.
A nicely told story. The story itself doesn’t touch much on the history of Juneteenth so it works well for children who are already familiar with Juneteenth and its significance.
I love the cheerful illustrations. They nicely emphasize family, community, and celebration with bright colors and dynamic movement.
The backmatter includes a short history of Juneteenth, what it represents, and it becoming a federal holiday, as well as information about the significance of the color red and a recipe for strawberry lemonade.
A nice story for those already familiar with the history of Juneteenth.