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February is not only the month we celebrate Valentines Day but Black History Month. Which Charlie and I’ve been studying in our homeschool class this month. I would like to share a children’s book I received Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth in exchange for this review.
Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth
While the house was quite this morning, I sat down to read Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth. I am so glad I did. In the book is a recipe we can create in our Homeschool Cooking Class they used to drink back in the day. Would you like to join us for snack time this morning?
I loved learning this took place in Fort Worth which is where I live and how she walked to Washington. Do you think you could walk that far because I know I couldn’t and if the truth was told I wouldn’t even want to try. Would you? Throughout the book it teaches our children things they may have never heard of or even thought about.
Could you imagine only being allowed to visit the Zoo one time a year? Or not drinking out of any faucet you wanted to drink from? How about someone burning your home down? The Author of Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth faced this and so much more just because of the color of her skin.
It’s like black’s were even people or slaves but animals as they ended up chained a lot of times. I hope you take the time to read this book for yourself as well as sharing it will all the children in your lives. Please check with your libraries and schools and make sure there is a copy on their shelves because everyone should read this book.
About:
Black activist Opal Lee had a vision of Juneteenth as a holiday for everyone. This true story celebrates Black joy and inspires children to see their dreams blossom. Growing up in Texas, Opal knew the history of Juneteenth, but she soon discovered that many Americans had never heard of the holiday. Join Opal on her historic journey to recognize and celebrate “freedom for all.”
Every year, Opal looked forward to the Juneteenth picnic—a drumming, dancing, delicious party. She knew from Granddaddy Zak’s stories that Juneteenth celebrated the day the freedom news of President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation finally sailed into Texas in 1865—over two years after the president had declared it! But Opal didn’t always see freedom in her Texas town. Then one Juneteenth day when Opal was twelve years old, an angry crowd burned down her brand-new home. This wasn’t freedom at all. She had to do something! But could one person’s voice make a difference? Could Opal bring about national recognition of Juneteenth? Follow Opal Lee as she fights to improve the future by honoring the past.
Through the story of Opal Lee’s determination and persistence, children ages 4 to 8 will learn:
- all people are created equal
- the power of bravery and using your voice for change
- the history of Juneteenth, or Freedom Day, and what it means today
- no one is free unless everyone is free
- fighting for a dream is worth the difficulty experienced along the way
Featuring the illustrations of New York Times bestselling illustrator Keturah A. Bobo (I am Enough), Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free by Alice
About the Author: Alice Faye Duncan
Alice Faye Duncan writes books for young readers and adults. HONEY BABY SUGAR CHILD is a mother’s love song to her baby. The lyrical text sings and swings just like music.
MEMPHIS, MARTIN AND THE MOUNTAINTOP (The 1968 Sanitation Strike) is a lyrical combination of poetry and prose that explores Dr. King’s assassination and his last stand for economic justice. The illustrator is Caldecott Honor recipient, Gregory Christie.
12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS IN TENNESSEE is a child’s travel guide across the Volunteer State (GO VOLS!). Two cousins in ugly holiday sweaters visit important landmarks throughout the state, while traveling in a mini-van called the “Reindeer Express.”
A SONG FOR GWENDOLYN BROOKS is the first picture book biography to explore the life and times of Chicago poet–Gwendolyn Brooks. In 1950, Miss Brooks was the first African American writer to receive a Pulitzer Prize.
Alice’s book–JUST LIKE A MAMA made its debut on Mother’s Day (2019). The illustrator is Charnelle Pinkney Barlow. This book was a 2021 NAACP Image Award Nomination for BEST BOOK IN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
