From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3–While this book serves as an easy introduction to the holiday, it fails to convey a celebratory tone. The Swahili words that comprise the seven guiding principles of Kwanzaa are defined on each spread, but the pronunciation guide appears in an author's note at the back. The boldly colored illustrations showing various people and activities don't always match the text. For example, &Beating drums and singing voices,/ we perform for KUUMBA shows a lone figure quietly painting. Likewise, ceremonial candles are mentioned on each page but not shown until the end. In a note, Tokunbo describes a karamu or traditional feast on the last day of Kwanzaa and includes a recipe for No-Cook Brownie Bites made from dates. An uneven offering that falls rather flat.
–Madeline J. Bryant, Los Angeles Public Library END
A simple, direct narrative describes the lighting of the Kwanzaa candles, the principle each represents, and how families carry out that concept with a focus on words and sounds. The principle “Ujamaa,” or “cooperative economics,” for example, is depicted as “Laughing shoppers and chanting merchants, we support our neighborhoods.” Back matter includes an author’s note, a pronunciation guide, and a recipe for “No-Cook Kwanzaa Brownie Bites.” With an effective use of shape, silhouette, and bold color, the flat, posterlike illustrations are ideal for group presentation. Pair this with Juwanda G. Ford’s K Is for Kwanzaa: A Kwanzaa Alphabet Book (1997) and Karen Katz’s My First Kwanzaa (2003) for preschool and primary-grade Kwanzaa celebrations. Preschool-Grade 2. --Linda Perkins
