#alliah Agostini

[52booksproject]

Book 38 The Juneteenth Story

I chose The Juneteenth Story off a curated list of Black History Month books from my local library. By Alliah L. Agostini, this is a cute, illustrated book about the history of Juneteenth from the root causes through current times (it has a person in a mask celebrating it).

I like that there are no punches pulled about the causes. Though of course it goes into why slavery is wrong (you're not free), it doesn't get into any horror stories of slavery which is age appropriate, I think.

Then it talks about the Emancipation Proclamation and Black people in Texas not hearing or at least being able to do anything about it until Union soldiers arrived in June 1865. It then describes how things like Jim Crow Laws or the Great Depression affected celebrations. It even has a little blurb at the end about the author's personal experience with Juneteenth.

BEST LINE: "Falling just weeks before Independence Day each year, Juneteenth is a time to remember and celebrate our enslaved ancestors' strength and perseverance.

SHOULD YOU READ THIS BOOK? Do you already know a bit about Juneteenth? You might still learn something new from the book. It is for little kids, but the facts are there and the illustrations are charming.

ART PROJECT:

Another illustrated book, another attempt at recreating the artist's style. Although the style is the closest yet to my native style, I didn't quite capture the charm. I drew former Texas representative Al Edwards who was instrumental in making Juneteenth a holiday.

[blackchildrensbooksandauthors]

✍🏿Debut You 2022: Meet Alliah L. Agostini: The Juneteenth Story