The Juneteenth Cookbook: Recipes and Activities for Kids and Families to Celebrate

*As Featured on Oprah Daily*
*2024 Shelf Awareness Best Book of the Year*
*A Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature (CSMCL) Best Multicultural Book of 2024*

Celebrate Juneteenth and radiate #BlackJoy through traditional food and cultural activities.

A commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States, the Juneteenth holiday has been observed in the Black community for over 150 years. In  The Juneteenth Cookbook, Alliah L. Agostini, author of the popular children’s book  The Juneteenth Story—which won the  2022 Black Kid Lit Award for Best Historical title—brings the tradition to your home through  historically accurate recipes  and  educational family activities.

With  captivating illustrations  of  18  quick and easy recipes, follow along with little Alliah and her grandparents as they explore the historical origins of the holiday through food. Make, share, and enjoy  kid-friendly takes on some of the most popular Juneteenth celebration foods, including:

• Red Velvet Ice Cream Sandwiches
• Frances Price’s Calico Potato Salad
• Saucy Pulled Chicken Sliders with Bangin’ Barbeque Sauce
• Freedom  Fizz (homemade red pop)
• Hot Links & Chow Chow Relish
• Corn  Muffins with Hot Honey Butter
• Mac ’n’ Please
• Sweet Potato Pie Bars
• And more!

All recipes use  simple and accessible ingredients, which can be  easily substituted  for a variety of diets and preferences. Each recipe can also easily be multiplied for larger groups, and the instructions are written with families in mind so  everyone from toddler to grandparent can participate  in crafting the ultimate Juneteenth celebration spread! Alongside all the delicious recipes, you’ll also learn  a brief history of barbeque  and it’s importance to the Juneteenth holiday and Black culture in America.

Keep the celebration going with  five fun and educational activity sections  that include  crafting projects  (creating an African medallion necklace and designing your own Juneteenth gear with block printing);  table and field games  (playing mancala and having relay races);  on-site or virtual field trips  (visiting museums and historic locations or joining Juneteenth celebrations in culturally important American cities); and dancing to the music of the holiday with  Alliah’s Cookout DJ 101 tutorial. These activities are perfect  for families, community groups, or classes and bring elements of the road to emancipation and Juneteenth’s history to life.

Comprised of 90 percent cooking and 10 percent family and community engagement,  The Juneteenth Cookbook  brings kids and families a sensory-rich, hands-on exploration of this important and historic American holiday.

The  Holiday Celebration  series from becker&mayer! kids honors the diverse holidays and milestones that shape the cultural fabric of the United States. Though these traditions may have originated elsewhere, brought to our shores by ancestors from around the world, they have endured and evolved to weave the vibrant tapestry of American life. The series includes picture books and their companion kid-friendly cookbooks that share stories uniquely representative of the American experience—an experience that is multilayered, eclectic, inclusive, and joyfully beautiful.

Also available from the series:The Juneteenth Story,  The Dia de Los Muertos Story,  The Dia de Los Muertos Cookbook, and  The Kwanzaa Story.