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)