Juneteenth for Mazie - by Floyd Cooper

About the Book

Mazie learns the history of Juneteenth and its importance through a story about her grandfather.

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

My girl loved the book's gorgeous pictures, and as she learned about the struggles and accomplishments of African Americans throughout our country's history, we were able to talk about such notable trailblazers as Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson and President Barak Obama. She even gave me a lesson about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whom she had just spent a month learning about in school. With the help of the book, this June, on the 150th anniversary of the first Juneteenth, Mazie and my little girl will be ready to celebrate together.-- "BookTrib, "3 Spunky heroines to share with your daughter for Women's History Mon"

[Cooper's] full-page artwork--oil paintings in softly textured yellows and browns--captures the tender relationship between a father and daughter and the sadness and pride of their family story. Broad sweeps of history are encapsulated in double-page spreads focusing on determined, prayerful and happy faces. A quiet and informative picture of belated emancipation.-- "Kirkus Reviews"

Being a children's historical fiction and a diversity book makes Juneteenth for Mazie a picture book that deserves more than a quick glance. . . .Cooper's technique does give the spreads the look and feel of a time long ago that has aged, but never lost its details, despite repeat readings. . . .[Cooper] keeps the story and history lesson interesting, thoughtful, and accessible to young children.-- "Kid Lit Reviews"

Cooper's signature oil wash and eraser technique elevates the presentation beyond the purely instructional. . . .Cooper depicts the Selma to Montgomery March, a schoolroom, a church, and the rear view of a historic inauguration, making this a useful title for a bird's-eye perspective of the subject.-- "School Library Journal"

In his customary gauzy gold-and-brown illustrations, Cooper sandwiches historical images of figures picking cotton, fleeing "north to freedom," and marching over a bridge, between contemporary scenes of Mazie snuggled up next to her dad, and dancing in a festive parade. . . .Other introductions to Juneteenth are more detailed, but this will give even young readers a glimmer of its significance.-- "Booklist"

This sweet remembrance teaches about the day, known as Juneteenth, and celebrates freedom through the calm, assured tone and expressive faces of the characters. Somber shades of brown give the book a nostalgic, historical feel while remaining accessible and enjoyable for children today.-- "Foreward Magazine"

About the Author

Award-winning author/illustrator Floyd Cooper received a Coretta Scott King Award for his illustrations in The Blacker the Berry and a Coretta Scott King Honor for his illustrations in Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea and I Have Heard of a Land. He lives in Easton, Pennsylvania, with his wife and children.

Award-winning author/illustrator Floyd Cooper received a Coretta Scott King Award for his illustrations in The Blacker the Berry and a Coretta Scott King Honor for his illustrations in Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea and I Have Heard of a Land. He lives in Easton, Pennsylvania, with his wife and children.