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A review by panda_incognito
Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth by Alice Faye Duncan, Keturah A. Bobo
3.0
This picture book briefly introduces the history of Juneteenth, emphasizing the ways that Opal Lee advocated for its adoption as a holiday. The book has great illustrations and easy-to-read writing, and I appreciate the emphasis on family bonds and celebrating together. The book's framing device of a celebration helps contextualize the heavy topic for kids, and the book ends on a hopeful note.
The reason why I am only giving this book three stars is because it does not explain the Emancipation Proclamation in relation to the Civil War. Although I understand the desire to simplify complex history for kids, this book doesn't mention the Civil War until the historical notes at the end, and it seems both strange and potentially confusing to young readers. This book makes it seem like Abraham Lincoln just woke up one day and decided to free everyone, and even though I wouldn't expect a picture book for children to address all of the surrounding legal and social context for this document, it disappointed me that the author sidestepped the war entirely when it is central to the true story.
This picture book provides a child-level explanation of slavery and the creation of the Juneteenth holiday, but because it doesn't address the Civil War, the book profoundly oversimplifies the Emancipation Proclamation and leaves confusing gaps in knowledge related to why it took so long for the enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, to know that they were free. Although this book celebrates Opal Lee's activism and provides an adequate explanation of Junteenth for young children, parents and educators who want to provide a full historical explanation of Junteenth should use this as supplementary material.
I received a temporary digital copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The reason why I am only giving this book three stars is because it does not explain the Emancipation Proclamation in relation to the Civil War. Although I understand the desire to simplify complex history for kids, this book doesn't mention the Civil War until the historical notes at the end, and it seems both strange and potentially confusing to young readers. This book makes it seem like Abraham Lincoln just woke up one day and decided to free everyone, and even though I wouldn't expect a picture book for children to address all of the surrounding legal and social context for this document, it disappointed me that the author sidestepped the war entirely when it is central to the true story.
This picture book provides a child-level explanation of slavery and the creation of the Juneteenth holiday, but because it doesn't address the Civil War, the book profoundly oversimplifies the Emancipation Proclamation and leaves confusing gaps in knowledge related to why it took so long for the enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, to know that they were free. Although this book celebrates Opal Lee's activism and provides an adequate explanation of Junteenth for young children, parents and educators who want to provide a full historical explanation of Junteenth should use this as supplementary material.
I received a temporary digital copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.