The Night Before Freedom

March 24, 2023

K-Gr 5-In this story of a family's annual Juneteenth celebration, the matriarch recounts how her grandmother, Mom Bess, told the story of how she (at six years old) and her parents welcomed freedom on the first Juneteenth in 1865. David's family is celebrating Juneteenth in Galveston, TX, with their relatives. The festivities, which include parades, speeches, food, and music, honor the day when enslaved people in Galveston finally learned of their freedom in 1865, two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. An ode to Clement C. Moore's "The Night Before Christmas," this story is written in the same meter as the well-known poem. Armand's use of rhyme and rhythm throughout the book is reminiscent of nursery rhymes, in a way that makes the history digestible for young readers. The vibrant artwork depicts David's ancestors and people in their community marching, dancing, praising, and singing as word of their newfound freedom spread. Colors are bright, warm, lively, flowy, soft, and blended. The faces have definition, the pages have texture, and the people seem to really move in each illustration. VERDICT Appropriate for elementary school libraries, and would also be an asset in a classroom library or as part of an elementary school lesson for kindergarten to fifth grade students.-Matia Edwards

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2023
A Black family gathers on Juneteenth. David's family has joined relatives to celebrate the holiday in Galveston, Texas. After the parades, speeches, food, and music, the culminating activity is David's grandmother's telling the story of her grandmother Mom Bess and the events that came to be known as Juneteenth. The rumors that freedom was coming for enslaved people finally came true with the arrival of a White soldier on horseback who read the Emancipation Proclamation. Bess, who was 6 at the time, did not understand until her mother explained what freedom meant. The newly freed began to plan what they would do next. Bess' parents started to work for wages, eventually purchasing land and providing an opportunity for Bess to get an education. The afterword explains that although President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation to take effect Jan. 1, 1863, enslaved people in Texas did not learn of the change in their status until June 19, 1865. For years some states celebrated the holiday. In June 2021, President Joe Biden declared Juneteenth a federal holiday. Armand uses the same meter as Clement C. Moore's " 'Twas the Night Before Christmas," evoking the same anticipation--in this case for freedom. Infused with movement, Barksdale's lively, fluid colorful, acrylic, oil, and pastel watercolor pencil illustrations complement the rhythmic text that centers family and story. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A jubilant combination of verse and illustration that captures this momentous historical event. (Informational picture book. 4-8)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 1, 2023
Preschool-Grade 2 Eight-year-old David and his extended family assemble at Grandma's house in Galveston, Texas, eager to hear the matriarch's annual recitation of the story of Juneteenth, the holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. Her account, as told to her by her own grandmother Mom Bess, describes whispered rumors of freedom finally confirmed by a rider on horseback announcing the news from a scroll. Jubilation, celebration, and plans for a better future follow. Armand's joyful picture book highlights this June 19th observance, now a federal holiday. In capturing the anticipation felt before this holiday, she also invokes some phrases and the meter of Clement Moore's The Night before Christmas. Barksdale's vibrant mixed-media artwork uses acrylic, oil, and watercolor pencils on Masonite and employs an abstract expressionist style. Lively patterns appear on clothing, textiles, and the endpapers, and, while facial features are sometimes indistinct, a sense of joy and movement pervades every spread. This makes a good read-aloud; pair with Sojourner Kincaid Rolle's Free at Last (2022) to introduce this special day.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 22, 2023
“’Twas the night before freedom, and all through the South/ long-whispered rumors had spread, word of mouth.” In this historically insightful nested narrative, Armand employs anapestic verse to rhythmically narrate the events of the first Juneteenth as told through the lens of a Black family’s present-day Juneteenth celebration. In Galveston, Tex., young David experiences a festivities-filled day, the highlight of which is Grandma’s recitation of her great-grandmother’s experiences as a child on June 19, 1865. Using a bold color palette to render stylized landscapes and patterns in the past and present, debut illustrator Barksdale depicts individuals receiving the news of freedom via a white soldier reading the Emancipation Proclamation, followed by celebratory reactions. Combining an elder’s telling with saturated images, the creators offer up a moving portrayal of intergenerational memory, Juneteenth’s meaning, and “all the things that true liberty brings.” A contextualizing afterword concludes. Ages 4–8.