Engaging Books to Commemorate Juneteenth in the Classroom
Juneteenth is the commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States. This holiday dates back to June 19, 1865 when Galveston, Texas became the final American city to learn of the Emancipation Proclamation.
The book list below presents titles to support educators in teaching students the history of this significant holiday which became nationally recognized in 2021. Featuring both fiction and nonfiction, this list provides necessary context and background information on this holiday for students of all ages, and helps them to recognize and acknowledge the horrors of slavery and the experiences of emancipation.
Educators can consider pairing the titles below with current events articles showcasing how people are observing this holiday around the country, or highlighting historical newspaper articles from the African American Historical Newspapers database available from The New York Public Library.
The Schomburg Literary Festival on June 18 is also a great opportunity for educators to hear from authors of African descent. Readings, panel discussions, and workshops at the event range from prose to poetry, comic books to young adult novels, fiction and nonfiction. Register here.
Elementary
Ben and the Emancipation Proclamation
by Patrice Sherman; illustrated by Floyd Cooper
Young Benjamin Holmes, a slave in Charleston who has taught himself to read, reads Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation to his fellow slaves in prison.
Freedom Bird
by Jerdine Nolen; illustrated by James E. Ransome
An enslaved brother and sister are inspired by a bird to escape to freedom in an evocative picture book story inspired by American Black folktale traditions.
Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans
words and paintings by Kadir Nelson
Presents an introduction to African-American history, from Revolutionary-era slavery up to the election of President Obama demonstrating how African Americans help our country on the journey toward its promise of liberty and justice—the true heart and soul of our nation.
Henry’s Freedom Box
by Ellen Levine; illustrated by Kadir Nelson
When his family is sold during the era of slavery, a determined young boy who dreams of freedom ships himself in a wooden box to a place up north in the hopes of living the life he always wanted, in an inspiring story about one of the Underground Railroad's most amazing escapes.
Juneteenth
by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and Drew Nelson; illustrations by Mark Schroder
Describes how the holiday of Juneteenth began and discusses its traditions, symbols, how the holiday has changed and and how it is observed today.
Juneteenth Jamboree
by Carole Boston Weatherford; illustrated by Yvonne Buchanann
Cassandra and her family have moved to her parents' hometown in Texas, but it doesn't feel like home to Cassandra until she experiences Juneteenth, a Texas tradition celebrating the end of slavery.
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.
Let’s Celebrate Emancipation Day and Juneteenth
by Barbara DeRubertis
In the 1800s, abolitionists like Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and Sojourner Truth fought for freedom from slavery for all African Americans. They fought with speeches, songs, newspapers, and even with daring rescue missions! Every year on both Emancipation Day and Juneteenth we honor and continue their fight for freedom and equality.
Opal Lee and What it Means to be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth
by Alice Faye Duncan; illustrations by Keturah A. Bobo
The true story of Black activist Opal Lee and her vision of Juneteenth as a holiday for everyone will inspire children to be brave and make a difference. Growing up in Texas, Opal knew the history of Juneteenth, but she soon discovered that most Americans had never heard of the holiday that represents the nation’s creed of "freedom for all".
The Story of Juneteenth: An Interactive History Adventure
by Steven Otfinoski
The Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil War have brought an official end to slavery, yet some Southern slave owners are refusing to comply. Will you: Overcome obstacles as you make your way north from Texas, looking to begin a new life of freedom? Seek out your family, from whom you were separated as a child, after emancipation? Fight back when you take work as an apprentice but find that you’re still treated as a slave?
Middle School
Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life
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.
Freedom’s a-Callin' Me
by Netozke Shange; paintings by Rod Brown
A collection of poems brings to life the treacherous journey of the travelers on the Underground Railroad, in a universal story about the human need to be free.
Hidden Black History: From Juneteenth to Redlining
by Amanda Jackson Green
From Juneteenth to the Tulsa Race Massacre, many important moments in Black American history have not been taught in schools or covered in the media. Discover these events and how they are remembered in the Black community today.
Stamped (For Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You
adapted by Sonja Cherry-Paul, from Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds, a remix of Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi; with art by Rachelle Baker
Kids will discover where racist ideas came from, identify how they impact America today, and meet those who have fought racism with antiracism. Along the way, they'll learn how to identify and stamp out racist thoughts in their own lives.
What Is Juneteenth?
by Kirsti Jewel; illustrated by Manuel Guiterrez
Author Kirsti Jewel shares stories from Juneteenth celebrations, both past and present, and chronicles the history that led to the creation of this joyous day.
High School
The Black Civil War Soldier: A Visual History of Conflict and Citizenship
by Deborah Willis
Willis explores the crucial role of photography in (re)telling and shaping African American narratives of the Civil War, pulling from a dynamic visual archive that has largely gone unacknowledged.
The Book of Awesome Black Americans
by Monique L. Jones
We are familiar with a handful of African Americans who are mentioned in American history books, but there are also countless others who do not get recognized in mainstream media. Their actions may not have appeared to shake the world, but their contributions to shifting American culture were just as groundbreaking.
Crossing Ebenezer Creek
by Tonya Bolden
Freed from slavery, Mariah and her young brother Zeke join Sherman's march through Georgia, where Mariah meets a free black named Caleb and dares to imagine the possibility of true love, but hope can come at a cost.
Dark Sky Rising : Reconstruction And The Dawn Of Jim Crow
by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. with Tonya Bolden
Shares real-life accounts from the periods spanning the end of the Civil War, Reconstruction and the rise of Jim Crow segregation, in a scholarly tribute to the resiliency of the African American people at times of progress and betrayal
Unseen : Unpublished Black History From The New York Times Photo Archives
by Darcy Eveleigh, Dana Canedy, Damien Cave and Rachel L. Swarns
Collects previously unpublished photographs from the New York Times archives that depict the lives and struggles of mid-twentieth century African Americans, images that include Rosa Parks arriving at the courthouse and the fire-bombed home of Malcolm X.
Summaries provided via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources. Click through to each book’s title for more.