So Many Years: A Juneteenth Story

by Anne Wynter, Jerome Pumphrey (Illustrator)

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063081147
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/06/2025
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Anne Wynter is the Ezra Jack Keats Award–winning author of the picture books Nell Plants a Tree, Everybody in the Red Brick Building, and Patrick and the Not So Perfect Party as well as the board books Hands On!, One Big Day, Just Like You, and No More Sleeping In. Originally from Houston, Texas, she currently lives in Austin, Texas, with her family. 

Jerome Pumphrey is an award-winning author and illustrator. He makes books for kids, often with his brother, Jarrett. Their books include the Caldecott Honor–winning There Was a Party for Langston written by Jason Reynolds; The Last Stand written by Antwan Eady; It’s a Sign!, an Elephant & Piggie Like Reading book; Somewhere in the Bayou, a Texas 2x2 List Selection; and their author-illustrator debut, The Old Truck, which received seven starred reviews, was named a Best Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly, and received the Ezra Jack Keats New Author Honor. Originally from Houston, he works primarily from his home office in Georgetown, Texas, where he lives with his wife and their three kids.

Editorial Reviews

(Nell Plants a Tree) "Gorgeous images and text chronicle joyful childhood experiences—a future classic." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

(Nell Plants a Tree) "Toggling between two timelines, Wynter tells a warm, affectionate story behind a cherished pecan tree and an intergenerational family. Pen and ink, gouache, and collage artwork by Miyares exudes the golden light of autumn, and prose by Wynter shimmers with evocative sense words—it’s almost possible to smell the pie." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

(Everybody in the Red Brick Building) "The onomatopoeia in this cumulative tale is appropriate for the actions described and is so much fun to read . . . Certain to become a favorite bedtime book." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

(Everybody in the Red Brick Building) "Sounds rise to a crescendo and then descend into quiet in this rollicking roller coaster of a book. . . . A sound-evocative tour de force."
— Booklist (starred review)

From the Publisher