Book Review: The Kwanzaa Story

Kwanzaa is a modern holiday that was designed deliberately to provide African Americans in the United States (and Blacks around the world) a deeper connection to African culture. The first celebration began on Dec. 26, 1966, and was inspired by the harvest celebrations in Africa, which happen at the end of the year.

South Africa in particular provided inspiration with the weeklong Umkoshi celebration, which marked the harvest and honored ancestors and community leaders.

Kwanzaa’s history and its spread around the world is explored in the book The Kwanzaa Story by Alliah L. Agostini and illustrated by Olivia Smith H.

The book describes how Black people in the United States in the 1960s began to stand up for their rights, including in the Watts Rebellion in 1965. Following that uprising, which is just a small part of the history of rebellion and resistance of Black people throughout American history, activists sought to ensure that Black people knew their history and felt a connection to their ancestral homeland.

In California Ron Everett had started a group called US that taught children and adults Black culture. Turning away from traditional American holidays, Kwanzaa was developed to celebrate community and culture.

The book goes through the meaning of each day of the celebration and talks about the symbols that are used during Kwanzaa. This is a great overview for kids of any background who might want to know more about where Kwanzaa came from and how it is celebrated.

It describes how the holiday has spread from one community in Los Angeles to a weeklong event that’s participated in by tens of millions of people in the United States and around the world.

In addition to the facts about Kwanzaa, the book includes a Black history timeline and a note about other Black American cultural holidays, as well as a note from the author about their family’s history with Kwanzaa.

While the book is written with Black children as the intended audience, children of all backgrounds can benefit from learning the history behind Kwanzaa as more than just a list of values, but also as a cultural celebration that’s an important part of Black history. The book is recommended for ages 6-9 years, but could also be beneficial for older kids who do not know this history.

About the book: 32 pages, hardcover paper over boards. Published 2025 by ‎ becker&mayer! kids. Suggested retail price $18.99

Kwanzaa Activities for Kids [Lesson Plans]

Holiday Roundup: Celebrate Kwanzaa! [Edible Crafts]

Kwanzaa Printables and Other Resources [Lesson Plans]

As if Diwali weren’t colorful and fun enough, The Festival of Lights: A Lift-the-flap Diwali Celebration by Namita Moolani Mehra, illustrated by Darshika Varm, makes it even more fun to read about with flaps and things to lift and pull to see more information or details in the illustrations.

The book is a story about a family getting ready for Diwali and what happens on the different days of the five-day celebration. There’s cleaning, shopping, crafting, food preparation and getting the home altar ready for the big day.

It covers decorating the outside of the house with rangoli, diyas and lanterns, buying sweets to share with family and friends, the sights and scents of the mandir (home temple), getting dressed up in new fancy clothes, the story of Diwali and celebrations with relatives.

Flaps (there are more than 140 in all) give you vocabulary words for different foods and definitions, as well as fun things like what’s inside the shopping basket or where the cat is hanging out. They also help illuminate the story of Diwali, which is the triumph of good over evil as Lord Ram defeated the demon Ravana to save his wife, Sita.

This pretty and colorful book helps kids understand what Diwali is and how it is celebrated, regardless of whether they practice it at home. This would be a nice book to keep in a classroom (it’s rated for kids ages 3-7) or to have at home to teach kids about Diwali even if it’s not something you celebrate. Where I live there are a lot of people from India so we are probably exposed to Diwali more than some other regions of America, but it’s a nice holiday to know about wherever you live.

Combine with the book Diwali and check out some fun lantern crafts and printables for kids to round out your experience.

About the book: 24 pages, hardcover, published 2025 by Wide Eyed Editions. Suggested retail prices $22.99.

Have you read?

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