Juneteenth Jamboree [Hardcover]

Carole Boston Weatherford (Author), Yvonne Buchanan (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1995

Joining her parents in a community celebration of Juneteenth, Cassie learns about the day when slaves in Texas were freed some two years after the Emancipation Proclamation and wonders why the news took so long to reach them.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starring a likable girl named Cassandra, Weatherford's debut introduces readers to Juneteenth, which commemorates the events of June 19, 1865. On that day Texas slaves learned about their emancipation-an astonishing two and a half years after Lincoln signed the proclamation. Cassandra, newly moved to Texas, doesn't know about the holiday-her parents and other relatives are cooking, dancing and dressing up a storm, all the while telling her to expect a surprise (the only hint is that it's a Texas tradition). She is duly astonished by the rousing Juneteenth celebration, with its shows, parade, crafts and cheerful spectators. Although wordy, the enthusiastic text allows readers to discover-and celebrate-the holiday along with Cassandra. But the larger treat is newcomer Buchanan's loose pen-and-ink and watercolor art. Festive and full of mirth, her fluid, motion-packed lines put a visible spring in her characters' steps, and her palette is as summery as lemonade and blue skies. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4?Cassandra's family has moved to her parents' hometown in Texas, but she misses her friends and does not feel quite at home. All that changes when she and her brother are surprised by and then experience their first Juneteenth celebration, an event held each year to commemorate the day Texas slaves heard that they had been freed by Lincoln's signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Weatherford does an excellent job of explaining what this holiday is, and what it means to African Americans. Buchanan's pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations add a joyous and celebratory touch, showing all of the dances, parades, balloons, crowds, and other festivities that mark the day. Juneteenth Jamboree represents a wonderful way to introduce this unique holiday (it was made a legal holiday in Texas in 1980).?Carol Jones Collins, Montclair Kimberley Academy, NJ
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Lee & Low Books (September 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880000180
• ISBN-13: 978-1880000182
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,582,187 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb!, January 7, 2000

By 

Mei Lan Loi (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Juneteenth Jamboree (Hardcover)

This book does a fantastic job of introducing American children to a significant moment in the history of Black Americans in this country. The illustrations are beautiful.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children, February 21, 2009

By 

Yana V. Rodgers "econkids.rutgers.edu" (New Brunswick, NJ) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Juneteenth Jamboree (Paperback)

Cassandra has recently moved to Texas and she wonders when the state will feel more like home. Little does she know that this particular day, June 19, will introduce her to a new holiday she has not celebrated before. Delicious smells in the air, an enormous picnic basket filled with food, a visit from Aunt Bet, and a new dress to wear: what is all the excitement about? Cassandra soon learns that this day, a legal holiday, commemorates the June 19, 1865 announcement by Union Army soldiers in Texas of the abolition of slavery, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

The festivities help Cassandra imagine the joy that the freed slaves experienced on that important day, and help her to feel a stronger connection with her new home state. With its lively text and warm illustrations, Juneteenth Jamboree provides a useful opportunity to introduce children to a holiday they may know less about, and to talk about why it took more than two years for the Emancipation Proclamation to be enforced in Texas.