A song for Juneteenth

Previous collaborators Elliott and Denmon (A Place Inside of Me) deliver a reflective picture book on Juneteenth's origins that's positioned, per an author's note, as a message from ancestors who "knew from experience that freedom is a journey and not a destination." Beginning with a Black child's birth and moving into their maturation, incantatory lines describe the hands and arms of those who offered baths and baptisms, "oiled your/ tender head," and "cradled you till/ the fever broke." Digitally finished multimedia portraiture incorporates glimpses of the earth and sky, and lyrical lines acknowledge that while the child "as intended... grew/ to be Black/ and proud," abiding love and care can't shield them from harm. Sun-tinged scenes of the child, younger, with caretakers next shift to lush images of the youth, now older, in community. And as text introduces concepts of undertaking the unfinished work of liberation, final spreads visualize activists, athletes, musicians, and more taking part. Modeling community care, it's a fervent work of collaboration and inheritance that urges moving forward while remembering the "hope/ that birthed/ you" and that "you are/ deeply loved." An author's note concludes. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 6--8. Author's agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary. (May)

A lyrical affirmation that enfolds Black children within a legacy of love, care, and belonging. The text opens with celestial imagery as words seem to emanate from the sky, paired with an illustration of a silhouetted pregnant figure stretched across the page, belly cradled, presenting birth as divine: "Black child / you were birthed from a / dark jeweled / expanse / infinite and vast / but holy as the womb."The narrative reveres the familiar rituals of Black caregiving ("buttered your skin / and oiled your tender head"), recognizing care as a sacred inheritance. Sun imagery conveys blessing and protection, harkening back to ancestral gestures that embrace hope and divine favor. Juneteenth isn't explicitly named in the main text; the holiday functions less as a history lesson than as a metaphor: "Yet freedom delayed / cannot forever be / withheld / we need not wait / for the good news / to reach us / from afar." Denmon's illustrations, created in gouache, watercolor, and colored pencil and refined digitally, incorporate some recognizable yet unnamed popular Black figures, such as Colin Kaepernick and Serena Williams, alongside everyday community heroes. An author's note tracing Elliott's evolving relationship to Juneteenth adds grounding context for young readers. Though the book is addressed to Black children, its message of love, action, and collective liberation extends beyond its intended audience. A tender celebration of Black life that closes with a sustaining assurance: "Never forget that you are deeply loved."(Picture book. 3-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.