This was a fun audiobook to listen to with my kids about Juneteenth. The narrator was lively did great with the character conversations and keeping my kids engaged. The sound effects also added some flare.

This book takes an important part of history and explains it in a way that’s clear, honest, and age-appropriate without being watered down. A young girl reaches out to various friends and family members and asks, "What was the first Juneteenth like?," learning from each member how the holiday began and has been celebrated throughout the years. It's a great conversational way to explore the plight of the enslaved as they waited for true freedom.

Bonus: All the food talk made me hungry for greens and mac & cheese!

A great intro to Juneteenth for young kids!

I was given an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and I’m sharing my honest thoughts.

This is a nice introduction to a holiday that will be newer to some readers. It's also a great example of a young person being curious and inquisitive about their relatives and learning about family tradition. Encouraging children to show empathy by realizing that their experience is not the same as others' is a great thing. There is a little bit of history and some modern information about different kinds of celebrations and recipes.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC> I will likely purchase for my library in print as it wouldn't get as much mileage in audio.

I loved that this book started with a child's curiosity and then they went to a variety of adults to gain their perspective to answer her question.

This book shows diversity within a family and how each person can view a holiday differently and celebrate it differently. It also shows how the celebration of a holiday can change over time.

At the end of the book additional context and history is given which I really enjoyed that format as well. Overall I think this book is an excellent writing and is wonderful in the Audiobook format.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age: Childrens (my recommendation ages 4 - 9)
Themes: Juneteeth, Holidays, Black History, Generations, Family
Representation: Black Family, Multiple ages and generations
Read For: Netgalley
Obtained From: Thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgally for the Advanced Listening Copy

*Tell Me About Juneteenth* by Kortney Nash is a wonderful and engaging audiobook that beautifully shares how Juneteenth is celebrated across the United States. The story focuses on a lively block party and follows the main character as she explores the festivities, foods, and traditions that make this day special. Curious about the origins of Juneteenth, she meets an older man who explains the history and importance of the holiday to the Black community.

The audiobook does a great job balancing fun, colorful storytelling with a subtle yet meaningful history lesson. At the end, listeners are offered ideas for celebrating and even a recipe for traditional red drink, adding an interactive touch. The narrator’s lighthearted and friendly tone brings the story to life perfectly. I would rate this 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it. I received an advanced listener copy from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio.

This a great audio book about Juneteenth. A young girl wonders about the first Juneteenth. What happened, what did they eat etc. the narration is wonderfully done and I enjoyed all the music and sound behind the audio itself. The 2nd part explains a short history of when Juneteenth was founded. I didn’t know it took two years to get to the south officially. Also, learned that the color RED is very important and that’s where it ends with a recipe for strawberry lemonade. Now I must go eat because all this talk of ribs, chicken and red beans and rice has made me very hungry.

Tell Me About Juneteenth, written by Kortney Nash and narrated by Melinda Sewak is a sweet and educational book told by a young girl experiencing a Juneteenth celebration. On June 19, 1865, the last enslaved African Americans were finally freed in Galveston, Texas. It's a day to celebrate.

The soundtrack for the story was amazing along with the narrator. You could hear lot of things in the backgroud from sound of kids playing to conversations. She starts by telling how her family celebrates Juneteenth. She then branches out to finding how others celebrate the holiday. They celebrate through activities like hopscoth or eating certain foods.

To me this is such an important topic. My daughter moved to New Mexico and people there had no idea what Juneteenth was about. She had to explain the history to them. What a great way to teach part of history to younger children. I can't wait to share this story with my family.

~Thank you NetGallery and Macmillan Publishing for the ARC.

5/5 stars.
Thank you NetGalley for an audio eARC.
The narrator is top notch. This book is amazing for a younger audience to gently explain what Juneteenth is and why it is celebrated. The first part was a story as told from a young girl's perspective. The second part is historical facts about Juneteenth, and the last part includes how to celebrate Juneteenth with food recommendations and a recipe. I will definitely read this with my children to help explain Juneteenth to them.

Tell Me About Juneteenth (Hardcover)
by Kortney Nash
A story of community celebration history, family and understanding history. This book shows the inquisitive nature of children looking into the African American history, and community celebration. Starting with her family she finds how the Juneteenth celebration changes over the decades. From a yearly celebration only in Galveston Texas, to a community parade across the African American celebration.
The book also shows the history of the Juneteenth celebration.

What a lovely work for young listeners! This audiobook comes in at just under 14 minutes, so it’s great for a single-sitting. Juneteenth is discussed at a level appropriate and easy to understand for younger children, complete with background party noises like music. I appreciated how the story started with present-day celebrations and worked its way back to what original celebrations may have looked like. It covers the origins of Juneteenth in an age-appropriate way, and includes other names for the celebration.

After the story, there’s a section on the history of Juneteenth that may be a bit difficult for younger listeners, as some of the words are more complex, but it’s a chapter in the audiobook and can be skipped or paused for an adult to explain. There’s also an age-appropriate recipe for kids to try out.

Having the book with illustrations for the child to look at while listening to the audiobook could be a plus, though the audiobook stands on its own nicely. I would recommend this work to anyone with young readers and listeners.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review

Great story and narration -- I love how the evolving traditions of Juneteenth and described through the family and friends the MC talks to. Great narration and informative ending note. Will buy for my home

This was a very cute book. I really enjoyed the background sounds and music. The story was short, and very positive, and about coming together as a people.

My kids and I really enjoyed this audiobook. We follow a young girl experiencing a Juneteenth celebration. She is having a great time but wants to know more which is where the education part of this story really shines for young children. She is able to find out from family, friends and neighbors what their experiences have been and learn more about the history and importance of Juneteenth. This book is a fantastic, age appropriate book for young kids and we will definitely be getting on for our shelf.

The audio and narration were an enhancement to the already terrific story. I loved having the opportunity to listen to celebrations of Juneteenth from the perspective of a little girl. This would be a perfect pairing with the picture book, and I think would be perfect for a "talking book" that libraries lend.

I highly recommend the audio paired with the picture book for schools and libraries.

Tell Me About Juneteenth, written by Kortney Nash and narrated by Melinda Sewak is a sweet but educational book told by a young girl experiencing a Juneteenth celebration. She loves her experience, but wants to know more about what Juneteenth means, and what the first Juneteenth was like. She is able to find out from family, friends, and neighbors what their experiences have been, and what they can celebrate and remember. I loved how this book was written at an age appropriate level, for young readers to learn about Juneteenth, and what it was like. I appreciated how the examples of celebrations were shared, and how the children were able to learn about their history. I definitely recommend this book for young readers to be able to learn about a Juneteenth celebrations! Thank you to NetGalley and to the author, publisher, and narrator of this book for an ALC in exchange for an honest review of this book.

Tell Me About Juneteenth by Kortney Nash is a vibrant and accessible children’s book that beautifully introduces young readers to the history and significance of Juneteenth. Through engaging storytelling! Nash explains the origins of this important holiday—the day in 1865 when enslaved African Americans in Texas learned of their freedom—while celebrating themes of resilience and joy. The book’s clear language and thoughtful discussion questions make it an excellent resource for families and educators to teach children about African American history in a way that is both educational and inspiring. Perfect for sparking curiosity and meaningful conversations, this book is a must-have for any child’s library.

This high-quality audiobook production has full musical soundtrack, sounds of kids playing outside, grilling sounds, conversation background noises, all of which play underneath the narration of Melinda Sewak. Melinda has a rich and melodious voice, which manges to convey building excitement and joy very thoroughly.

This takes place at a recent Juneteenth neighborhood celebration. There are kids playing and families barbecuing, tables set up selling incense and jewelry with a real festival atmosphere. This talks quite a bit about traditional Black Juneteenth foods and drinks, like red drink and red beans and rice.

This educates about the first Juneteenth using age appropriate language and why this holiday exists. I love that this focuses on how Juneteenth celebrations started and how they've evolved over the decades into recent years. This is an important holiday that's only been legal a few short years. This gives facts and focuses on freedom but only mentions slavery very lightly without exactly defining what it was to be enslaved. This is appropriate for young kids.

Thank you to Kortney Nash, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.

I thought this was a good introduction of the history of how Juneteenth has been celebrated from today to the first Juneteenth for children. I thought the framing of a child asking questions to those around her kept the story very engaging for young listeners.

Wonderful, enthusiastic introduction to this important holiday. Readers learn the origins and how the celebration has changed over time. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook

An important primer for children learning about this holiday. My company finally got it off last year. Does yours?

🎧 Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Young Listeners