All Different Now

Starred review from March 17, 2014
This elegant collaboration by the creators of Lily Brown’s Paintings tells of the day that slaves on a Texas plantation learn they are free, more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Johnson’s graceful poem is narrated by a girl who heads to the cotton fields one June morning with her family and other slaves, unaware “that soon,/ it would all be different.” As word spreads, reactions range from serene contemplativeness to elation. Amid the cotton plants, an elderly man cries quietly, several adults bow their heads in prayer, and the girl’s mother silently hugs her: “My mama held my hand softly/ and looked beyond,/ as another breeze blew over/ and everything/ fell to a/ hush.” Using a lovely, muted palette, Lewis’s expressive watercolors convey the impact of the news of freedom, dramatically contrasting the slaves’ lives before and after. Initially picturing the slaves toiling “under the hot Texas sun,” Lewis later captures their tranquil joy as they gather on a beach in the cool night “as free people.” Back matter provides historical context for this powerfully visualized story. Ages 5–9.

Starred review from March 15, 2014
Johnson tells a tale of Juneteenth in Texas through the eyes of a child, while Lewis' earth-toned watercolor illustrations capture the quotidian aspects of the way of life emancipation ended. The young female speaker who lives and works on the plantation with her mother, siblings and others takes personally the titular phrase, "all different now," when freedom comes. Just before the Union general announces on the balcony of the big house that the slaves are "now and forever free," rumors of this news has spread so quickly from the port to the countryside that Lewis includes an image with four vertical panels showing slaves engaged in many different types of work, passing the word and responding with surprise, shock and praise to the news. The historical details that Lewis integrates into the images situate Johnson's story historically and give young readers a sense of what cotton plantations in the mid-1860s looked like. In the backmatter, Johnson makes clear why this bit of history matters to her, and Lewis shares the impossibility of contemporary Americans' reaching a true understanding of the lives of 19th-century slaves--but how important it is to try. The richness of this book's words and images will inspire readers to learn more about this holiday that never should have been necessary...but was. (Web resources, glossary) (Picture book. 5-9)

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Starred review from May 1, 2014

Gr 3 Up-Previous picture books about Juneteenth (the holiday celebrating the day slaves were freed in Texas-two years after the rest of the country) have focused on contemporary children discovering this quirk of history. Valerie Wesley's Freedom's Gifts (S. & S., 1997) and Carole Boston Weatherford's Juneteenth Jamboree (Lee & Low, 1995) fall into that category. Johnson imagines what it would be like to be a slave one minute and a free person the next. Spare text, structured as free verse, hones in on the smell of honeysuckle and breakfast routines as the day begins, like any other. The titular phrase appears three times: first to build suspense, then to indicate the earthshaking import of the message spreading from the port, and, finally, to reflect on the consequences. Lewis paints details not mentioned. The protagonist is a girl living in the slave quarters with her siblings and mother. They are working in the cotton fields when the news arrives. Skillful watercolor renderings depict nuanced changes in lighting and focus, thereby capturing individual responses to a community's new reality-from incredulity and quiet contemplation to rapture. Occasional panels indicate passing time; the brilliant clarity of the fields at noon fades to a green-blue gauze over the revelers heading home from a late-night celebration. A time line, glossary, overview, list of websites, and notes by author and illustrator provide deeper understanding. With a narrative notable for its understated simplicity and lack of judgment, this title allows readers to draw their own conclusions. An affecting entree to a challenging conversation.-Wendy Lukehart, District of Columbia Public Library

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2014
Grades 1-3 On June 19, 1865, a young slave girl and her family go about their daily routine, unaware that their lives are about to change. They wake to the smell of honeysuckle before they get ready to work all day in the hot fields of Texas. Before long, word spreads even to them: We were all / now and forever free / and things / would be / all different now. Thus begin the celebrations that will be commemorated as Juneteenth, the day Texas slaves finally learned about their rights as freed people, a full two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Rich, subdued watercolors convey the celebrations with dignity and awe. Each page shows the slaves as a collective people, finally seeing a brighter future within reach. Johnson's attached verse enables younger readers to see the momentous nature of this date, while back matter appropriate for older readers provides a time line and other important factual references. A worthy addition to any collection on the topic.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2014
In exquisite, lyrical text, Johnson reimagines Juneteenth--the date slaves in Texas finally learned of their emancipation--from the perspective of one fictional family. The words build to a crescendo of emotions as these now-free people prepare for a new life. Lewis's soft watercolors mirror the emotion of the text--the sun reflects off the grateful faces, eyes face the future with clarity.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from May 1, 2014
Juneteenth -- commemorating June 19th, 1865, the date slaves in Texas finally learned of their emancipation -- is a day of celebration for many African Americans. In exquisite, lyrical text, Johnson reimagines that historic event from the perspective of one fictional family, on a day that started like any other. Families wake and head to the fields to pick cotton under the blistering sun. But soon, "word spread / from the port, / to town, /through the countryside, / and into the fields / that a Union general had read from a balcony that we were all / now and forever free / and things / would be / all different now." The words build to a crescendo of emotions as these now-free people bow their heads to offer up prayers or raise their eyes to the heavens and prepare for a new life of freedom. Lewis's soft watercolors mirror the emotion of the text -- the sun reflects off the grateful faces, eyes face the future with clarity. The last spread shows the family, with carts packed, moving away from slavery and into a world that is "all different now." Placed alongside the many very good books about slavery for young readers, Johnson and Lewis's story is an excellent next step in African American history, a celebration of moving forward. robin l. smith

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

May 1, 2014
Juneteenth -- commemorating June 19th, 1865, the date slaves in Texas finally learned of their emancipation -- is a day of celebration for many African Americans. In exquisite, lyrical text, Johnson reimagines that historic event from the perspective of one fictional family, on a day that started like any other. Families wake and head to the fields to pick cotton under the blistering sun. But soon, "word spread / from the port, / to town, /through the countryside, / and into the fields / that a Union general had read from a balcony that we were all / now and forever free / and things / would be / all different now." The words build to a crescendo of emotions as these now-free people bow their heads to offer up prayers or raise their eyes to the heavens and prepare for a new life of freedom. Lewis's soft watercolors mirror the emotion of the text -- the sun reflects off the grateful faces, eyes face the future with clarity. The last spread shows the family, with carts packed, moving away from slavery and into a world that is "all different now." Placed alongside the many very good books about slavery for young readers, Johnson and Lewis's story is an excellent next step in African American history, a celebration of moving forward. robin l. smith

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)