This book fills an important niche!
| Title | The Juneteenth Cookbook: Recipes and Activities for Kids and Families to Celebrate |
| Author | Alliah L. Agostini |
| Publisher, Year & Pages | Quarto, April 2024 72 pages |
| Summary from Publisher | “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! 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.” |
| Genre | Nonfiction, Reference, Children’s Nonfiction, Cookbook |
| Themes | Holiday, Food, African-American, Family, |
| Who should read this book? | It’s a children’s book, but it is really a whole-family book. Considering how little most of us know about Juneteenth, we could all benefit from reading it. Happily it’s well done and a pleasure to read. |
| Why I liked it | A lovely and useful little book for a whole family to enjoy. First off, every library should have a copy and should put it on display for Juneteenth. It would also be a wonderful present to give to any family. It’s colorful, has a great layout, and is filled with information. It’s much more than just a cookbook and fills a niche in the holiday market. |
Book Reviews From Sara 