Freedom's Gifts

By Valerie Wesley, Sharon Wilson (Illustrator)

Can Aunt Marshall change Lillie's mind about Juneteenth's true significance?

4.3/5 Goodreads · 24 ratings

32 pages· 2,644 words· Est. 21 min read-aloud

$16.00Save 7%

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Bookroo's summary

June eagerly awaits her favorite holiday, Juneteenth, but her cousin Lillie's indifference threatens to dampen the celebration. As tensions rise, their wise Aunt Marshall steps in, hoping to reveal the deep roots and significance of this historic day. Can she bridge the gap between past and present, and show Lillie that Juneteenth is more than just a tradition, but a vital part of their shared heritage? Discover how one family's journey through history might change everything.

From the publisher

Finding power in lessons from the pastJuneteenth – the day Texan slaves found out they had been freed, two years after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation – is June’s favorite holiday. This year, though, her cousin Lillie will be there for the Juneteenth picnic. That could spoil everything. Lillie is used to celebrating the Fourth of July, like everyone else, and has no interest in Southern traditions. But Aunt Marshall, the girls’ great-great-aunt, knows the significance of Juneteenth – she was about June’s age on June 19th, 1865, when the celebration began in Texas – and she just may be able to convince Lillie that Juneteenth is not a dumb old slave holiday, but a part of her heritage, and the first of many of freedom’s gifts.

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