So Many Years: A Juneteenth Story

Black Pearl Books Libro.fm (audiobook)

**For signed and personalized copies, order from Black Pearl Books and add your personalization request in the “instructions or comments” box at checkout.**

The celebrated author of Ezra Jack Keats Award winner Nell Plants a Tree and a Caldecott Honor artist come together for a poetic picture book introduction to Juneteenth and its origin.

Oh, how you would dance! How you would sing! How you would celebrate!

With lyrical text from Anne Wynter and radiant artwork from Jerome Pumphrey, this poetic picture book explains the history behind Juneteenth celebrations. So Many Years simultaneously acknowledges the history of slavery in the US as well as the astonishing Black resilience that has led to an enduring legacy of Black joy.

  • Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2025

Praise for So Many Years: A Juneteenth Story

“Children will be filled with wonder; adults will be impressed by the sheer talent on display. All will come away enlightened and moved by this loving tribute.

A deeply felt celebration of the resilience of the human spirit.”

—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Few books tie the past to the present quite as clearly as this one does, and to loop it all together with a holiday kids are familiar with today? Brilliant. Every library should own this. Every last one.”

 

— Betsy Bird’s 31 Days, 31 Lists

“It’s a moving tribute that converses with history’s resonances while moving forward in time.”

— Publishers Weekly, starred review

 

 

“So Many Years provides a thought-
provoking and easy-to-understand message that teaches even the youngest readers why Juneteenth is a cause for celebration.”

— Booklist

“Anne Wynter has demonstrated her skill for thoughtful yet concise text in previous offerings such as Everybody in the Red Brick Building, and she takes it a step further here. The minimalist text of this picture book, which takes the form of a series of questions . . . and their ensuing responses, creates a powerful call-and-response effect. 

The stunning illustrations are unmistakably the work of Jerome Pumphrey . . . Pumphrey’s use of acrylic paint on hardboard panels gives texture and depth to his beautiful, impactful spreads as the first half of the book offers glimpses of the family preparing for a Juneteenth celebration, memorably juxtaposed with the harsh reality of their previous life as enslaved people.“ 

— BookPage, starred review