The Story of Kwanzaa

by Donna L. Washington, Stephen Taylor (Illustrator)

Overview

It’s time for Kwanzaa!

Light the candles on the kinara! Fly the bendera, and tell stories from Africa! The festival of Kwanzaa was originated by Dr. Maulana Karenga to honor the customs and history of African Americans.

The seven principles of Kwanzaa, called the Nguzo Saba, serve to remind African Americans of the struggles of the past, and also focus on present-day achievements and goals for the future.

The holiday fun continues with activities at the end of the book, including making your own cow-tail switch and baking benne cakes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780064462006
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/20/1997
Series:	Trophy Picture Books (Paperback)
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	203,868
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.09(d)
Lexile:	720L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Donna L. Washington is a professional storyteller, multiple-award-winning recording artist, and author. She performs all over the country at festivals, schools, and libraries and gives workshops for parents and educators as well. Her many storytelling recordings have received Gold and Silver Parents' Choice Awards, Storytelling World Awards, iParenting Awards, Children's Music Web Awards, National Parenting Publications Awards Honors, and many more. Ms. Washington lives with her husband, two children, and two cats in Durham, North Carolina. You can visit her online at www.dlwstoryteller.com.

Donna L. Washington is a talented actress, writer and storyteller. She has written and performed many one-woman plays. The Story of Kwanzaa is her first book for children. Ms. Washington lives in Evanston, IL.

Stephen Taylor has illustrated two other children's books: Puddleduck, by Nancy Hundal, and Our Wonderful World, by Joseph Blakey. Mr. Taylor lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Editorial Reviews

Washington's first book tells about the seven-day festival that begins on December 26 and celebrates the bounty of the earth (Kwanzaa means "first fruits" in Swahili) and teaches seven principles or beliefs—one for each day.

Background comes in a brief history of Africans before slavery, slavery in America, the secession of the South and the Civil War, the civil rights movement, and the 1966 birth of the holiday. The seven principles teach African and African-American heritage, but they also reflect universal principles that everyone can live by. Bold, realistic illustrations are set off by elegant borders of African fabrics and designs. At the end are instructions on making a cow tail switch and a recipe for benne cakes. A fine primer on a holiday that is fast gaining recognition.

Kirkus Reviews

Although The Story of Kwanzaa is not a fictional tale of an African-American family’s Kwanzaa celebration, Graham Brown narrates with the same lilting expression and modulated tones he might have employed to read such a story. From the struggles of the enslaved Africans on the American continent to the founding of the Kwanzaa festival in 1966, the history of African-Americans is chronicled before moving on to an explanation of the Nguzo Saba, the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Brown’s sincerity, combined with his easy pronunciation of the Swahili names for the Nguzo Saba and the special Kwanzaa decorations, table accessories and foods, helps to create a feeling in the listener of sitting at the feet of an elder as he delivers essential teachings. T.B. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine

OCT/NOV 98 - AudioFile