Here’s a sampling of picture books that teachers can use in their classroom for Juneteenth (for those of us who are still in session) or for parents to share at home.
Title: Juneteenth Is
Author: Natasha Tripplett
Illustrator: Daniel J. O’Brien
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Description:
An intimate look at Juneteenth, this story is a warm look at a family and a community.
Juneteenth is the smell of brisket filling the air. Juneteenth is the sounds of music, dancing, and cheering ringing from the parade outside. It is love. It is prayer. It is friends and relatives coming together to commemorate freedom, hope for tomorrow, and one another.
This book is an ode to the history of the Black community in the United States, a tribute to Black joy, and a portrait of familial love. With poignant text and vivid illustrations, Juneteenth Is offers a window and a mirror for readers, resonating with kids who will see themselves reflected in its pages and those who hope to understand experiences beyond their own.
CELEBRATES BLACK At its root, this is a story of family and community. Vibrant illustrations capture the warmth and unity of Black families and Black communities in a portrait of beautiful joy.
REMEMBERING A Both a story of celebration and a commemoration of freedom, this book honors a past of struggle, resilience, and triumph. It recognizes Juneteenth not just as a holiday but as a cultural legacy. An author’s note also explains the significance of the color red to Juneteenth—its use as a symbol of African American endurance and the ways Black communities weave the color into modern-day celebrations through food and clothing.
BLACK HISTORY IS AMERICAN Juneteenth marks an undeniable truth of American history and remains a cultural touchstone for many Black Americans, making it important for all Americans to understand. Much-needed in this time of growing representation and discussion about equity and social justice, this book is a strong resource for parents and educators seeking to introduce Black history and encourage respectful conversations.
Title: The Undefeated
Author: Kwame Alexander
Illustrator: Kadir Nelson
Publisher: Versify
Description:
This poem is a love letter to black life in the United States. It highlights the unspeakable trauma of slavery, the faith and fire of the civil rights movement, and the grit, passion, and perseverance of some of the world’s greatest heroes. The text is also peppered with references to the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, and others, offering deeper insights into the accomplishments of the past, while bringing attention to the endurance and spirit of those surviving and thriving in the present.
Title: The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth & Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore
Author: Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
Illustrator: R. Gregory Christie
Publisher: Carlrhonda Books
Description:
Lewis’s dad said he had an itch he needed to scratch — a book itch. How to scratch it? He started the National Memorial African Bookstore. It became a center of black culture and a home to activists like Malcolm X.
Title: Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself To Freedome
Author: Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrator: Michele Wood
Description:
What have I to fear?
My master broke every promise to me.
I lost my beloved wife and our dear children.
All, sold South. Neither my time nor my body is mine.
The breath of life is all I have to lose.
And bondage is suffocating me.
Henry Brown wrote that long before he came to be known as Box, he “entered the world a slave.” He was put to work as a child and passed down from one generation to the next — as property. When he was an adult, his wife and children were sold away from him out of spite. Henry Brown watched as his family left bound in chains, headed to the deeper South. What more could be taken from him? But then hope — and help — came in the form of the Underground Railroad. Escape!
In stanzas of six lines each, each line representing one side of a box, celebrated poet Carole Boston Weatherford powerfully narrates Henry Brown’s story of how he came to send himself in a box from slavery to freedom. Strikingly illustrated in rich hues and patterns by artist Michele Wood, Box is augmented with historical records and an introductory excerpt from Henry’s own writing as well as a time line, notes from the author and illustrator, and a bibliography.
Title: Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton
Author/Illustrator: Don Tate
Publisher: Peachtree
Description:
But he was determined―he listened to the white children’s lessons and learned the alphabet. Then he taught himself to read.
Soon, he began composing poetry in his head and reciting it aloud as he sold fruits and vegetables on a nearby college campus. News of the enslaved poet traveled quickly among the students, and before long, George had customers for his poems. But George was still enslaved. Would he ever be free?
This is a small sample. Feel free to drop your picture book recommendations for Juneteenth.
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