Juneteenth for Mazie (Fiction Picture Books)

by Floyd Cooper

Other authorsFloyd Cooper (Illustrator)
Paperback, 2016

Status

Available

Publication

Picture Window Books (2016), Edition: Illustrated, 40 pages

Description

Mazie is ready to celebrate liberty. She is ready to celebrate freedom. She is ready to celebrate a great day in American history. The day her ancestors were no longer slaves. Mazie remembers the struggles and the triumph, as she gets ready to celebrate Juneteenth.

User reviews

LibraryThing member Karen59
Juneteenth for Mazie is a beautifully illustrated book for young children that describes the significance of June 19th and its commemoration of African-American's freedom from slavery. In lyrical prose, Maize learns about her history and develops pride and delight in the story of her people's
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fierce struggle for liberation.
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LibraryThing member KristyPratt
I liked this book for the most part. It was about a young girl named Mazie, who was constantly being told "no". Her father tells her that tomorrow, she will help celebrate Juneteenth, which was a time when her Great Great Great Grandfather Mose was told "no" much more than she ever will. Grandpa
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Mose was a slave and dreamed about freedom, until June 19, 1865, when Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation was passed and he and the other slaves finally had their freedom! However, even though the slaves were free, they were not equal to the white people. So, every June 19th or Juneteenth, they marched for their rights; their right to vote, for better jobs, schools and equal opportunity. A lot of things have changed for the better since then and each year on Juneteenth, they celebrate and remember.
I enjoyed the story itself and the way the Emancipation Proclamation is explained so simply to the reader using the fictional characters. I was a little surprised at some of the graphic descriptions used, but was impressed at how well it got the point across. For example, when talking about Grandpa Mose, the author says, "they sweat, they bled, they cried..." This allowed the reader (child) to understand that slavery was a bad thing and why the celebration is so important. I also enjoyed the pictures throughout the book. Each page had a large picture spread across the two pages which helped the reader to visualize the settings and characters. Although the pictures were beautifully drawn and painted, each page had a sepia-like covering which made it appear and feel much darker, even during the happy and celebratory times. I would like to have seen a little brighter illustrations during the happier sections of the story. Overall, it was a great book and introduces slavery and the Emancipation Proclamation in a unique and interesting way.
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LibraryThing member nbmars
Mazie is a little girl who is always getting told “no” by her parents, which makes her grumpy. Her father tries to make her feel better by promising that the next day, she can be part of a celebration. He explains to her they will be commemorating Juneteenth Day, and tells her that this is the
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day the slaves in Texas got word of their freedom. They never forgot that wonderful day.

He then adds that in spite of the emancipation of slaves, things weren’t perfect, and blacks still had to protest and march in order to stand shoulder to shoulder with whites. But blacks worked hard, excelled, and accomplished much (here he shows Barak Obama taking the oath of office). And now, he says to Mazie, you will be able to participate in the remembrance.

Discussion: This book is to be commended for explaining the significance of this date in the course of the text, rather than just in end notes. But I think the storyline paints the history of blacks in America with a too-rosy brush. Given the current tension in the country over race relations, it seems a bit quixotic.

Evaluation: In spite of my slight discomfort with the way black history is presented by this story, I would still share this book with kids. I love Floyd Cooper - his illustrations are magical. I especially love the central role of a dad instead of the usual ubiquitous picture book mom. But I think if I were reading this to kids I would add some “annotations” to the text….
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LibraryThing member KellieMcFadzen
In my opinion, I thought this was a good book. I liked this book because it’s big ideas, freedom, culture, and tradition, were all portrayed throughout the entire book. For example, when Mazie’s dad was explaining how times were for African Americans back in the day, slavery was brought up, and
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how African Americans fought for their freedom until they finally were freed. The illustrations also portrayed the big ideas because when Mazie’s dad was explaining how it is now tradition to celebrate the freedom of Slaves, the illustrations on the pages were bright and happy, to express that their tradition is valued and so is their freedom.
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Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2015

Physical description

10.8 inches

ISBN

1479558206 / 9781479558209

Local notes

Purchased with funding from the Ashley Grant program of the Minnesota Conference of the United Church of Christ.
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